Moving into the New

I have mentioned this before, but there have been further developments.

We live on the Cornish coast, on the side of a narrow valley. The view of the hill opposite is fantastic, with wild gorse, buddleia and hawthorn. At least, it was until a year ago, when the new owner came long and cleared the lot with a large machine. The whole field was raised to the ground and so far as we were concerned it had been desecrated. There were rumours that it was going to be a giant building site and that caused concern, if not anxiety. As the months went by however, the green growth began to regenerate and we were lulled into a sense of false security.

This week there has been more activity, as the owner made preparations to plant vines. A vineyard is to be established, right opposite to our house! A vineyard in Cornwall is a rare thing, but in our village? Of course, with global warming these things become possible, even in our climate. We are now looking forward to our new daily view. What a beautiful and unexpected change!

Isn't this how God works in our lives? We get used to the status quo, even, perhaps getting stuck in a rut, when all the time God is moving on to something new. Things get untidy in our lives. There are unplanned, inconvenient and difficult events that come along to upset us. We pray, looking for answers, but it feels like God has abandoned us and we cannot see a way forward. We sense there may be a new phase in our lives. We may even be tempted to try and make something happen, but there does not seem anything we can do about it.

However, if we put our whole trust in God, and wait upon Him - usually a lot longer than we would like - He has a free hand to do things in our lives that we would never think possible and beyond our wildest belief. Another thing! In the waiting we become changed and prepared for this 'new thing.'

"Watch for the new thing I am going to do. It is happening already - you can see it now! I will make a road through the wilderness and give you streams of water there." Isaiah 43:19 Good News Bible