“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isa. 43:19 ESV).
Unprecedented. Challenging times. Abundance of caution. None of these turns of phrase originated in 2020, but they will forever be associated with the global pandemic that began that year. None were spared its devastating effects. Beyond the obvious impacts to life and health – with many still mourning the death and disability it wrought – the enemy used the scourge of COVID-19 to dramatically accelerate the fraying in personal relationships and societal bonds while simultaneously stirring economic turmoil and political strife. Markets and supply chains still haven’t returned to normal. Students still lag academically. Church attendance is measured as “pre-“ and “post-COVID”.
While God addressed ancient Israel through Isaiah when literal exile loomed, many Christians today feel like we have been wandering in the wilderness. It’s impossible to reflect on the past five years without acknowledging just how harsh this desert has been. Yet, even in such an inhospitable climate, it is equally undeniable: God has been doing a new thing. Ways have been made. Rivers of living water have flowed.
Don’t believe me? Ask yourself: how many church services have you livestreamed? Until recently, if you were sick, traveling, or shut-in, you simply missed out on the corporate life of the church. While it is indisputably a poor substitute for gathering in-person, a new opportunity to connect now exists. At the Georgetown Church of Christ specifically, “daily devos” have become part of our vocabulary: videos, podcasts, and blogposts equip us to grow more like Jesus and share Him more readily than ever before. This season presented us with the opportunity of becoming more like the bold believers of the first century (cf. Acts 2:42). And many are, as young faith ignites and new leaders develop.
If not for COVID-19, would our congregation ever have delivered dozens of care packages to sick people or hosted not one but two prayer vigils outside of our local hospital? Would our children have graffitied a doctors’ office with encouraging Bible verses or our adults showered an entire graduating class with cards? Even apart from COVID-19, who would ever have included on a five-year ministry plan: serving food to an IT team working round-the-clock in response to a ransomware attack; sharing the gospel with multiple inmates (especially when visitation wasn’t allowed); or leading people to Jesus through loving actions at a funeral? Who would imagine a small-ish church in coastal South Carolina directly impacting headline-grabbing global events like the collapse of Afghanistan’s government or the war in Ukraine?
God would. Because ultimately, He is the one doing a new thing, making ways, and pouring out rivers. Our challenge – and His invitation – is to perceive it.
