Behold, I Am Doing a New Thing
There are moments in life that become stories we carry for years.
For many students, camp is one of those moments. It is a place where memories are made, friendships are formed, and testimonies begin. Stories of worship, prayer, healing, salvation, and God speaking to the next generation become markers of His faithfulness.
But the story does not end at camp.
Isaiah 43:19 says, “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.”
This was the theme verse for camp, and it is a word not only for students, but for the whole church. God is doing a new thing. The question is: do we see it?
Before God told Israel what He was going to do, He reminded them of who He is.
“I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.”
Our ability to trust God with the future depends on how we see Him. If we forget who God is, we will struggle to believe what He can do.
Then God reminded Israel of what He had already done. He reminded them of the Exodus, of the sea He split, of the path He made through mighty waters, of the enemies He defeated, and of the miracles He performed.
God was reminding them, “I have made a way before.”
He is the God of yesterday.
This matters because we need stories. We need testimonies. We need parents, grandparents, leaders, students, and churches to tell the stories of what God has done. We need to remember the prayers He answered, the miracles He performed, the ways He provided, and the moments He met us.
Remembering God’s faithfulness fuels our faith.
But there is also a danger: we cannot stay there.
Isaiah 43 says, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.” This does not mean we forget what God has done. It means we do not dwell in the past so deeply that we miss what God is doing now.
The problem is not remembering the past. The problem is when the past becomes the only place we believe God can move.
Sometimes we can celebrate yesterday so much that we stop expecting God today.
The same God who parted the Red Sea is still moving. The same God who poured out His Spirit on past generations is still pouring out His Spirit today. The same God who built His church then is building His church now.
He is not only the God who was. He is the God who is.
God is moving right now.
He is moving in students.
He is moving in families.
He is moving in schools.
He is moving in churches.
He is moving in the next generation.
Camp was a testimony of that. Students encountered God. Lives were changed. Stories were written. But camp is not the destination. Camp is a launch pad.
What God did this week is meant to shape what happens next.
Students, do not get stuck in a camp moment. Let what God did deepen your walk with Him. Let it change how you pray. Let it shape how you live at school. Let it fuel your hunger for what He wants to do next.
Adults, the question is for us too: have we become comfortable?
Sometimes the danger for those who have walked with God for a long time is not that we stop believing in God. It is that we stop expecting God.
The tribes of Reuben and Gad were close to the Promised Land, but they became comfortable with land that was good enough. It was not bad land, but it was not the final destination God had promised.
Sometimes comfort can keep us from stepping into the fullness of what God has for us.
The enemy does not always need to pull us away from God. Sometimes he only needs to make us comfortable enough that we stop pursuing everything God has for us.
But God is not only the God of yesterday and today. He is also the God of tomorrow.
He is the God who is to come.
The greatest days of seeing God move are not behind us. There are still people to reach, families to restore, students to disciple, neighbours to love, communities to impact, and promises to walk into.
God is not surprised by your future. He is already there.
Before you step into your next season, He is already present. Before you face your next challenge, He is already making a way. Before you encounter your next wilderness, He already knows how to bring rivers into the desert.
But the future can feel scary.
In Numbers 14, twelve spies entered the Promised Land. They all saw the same land, the same giants, and the same obstacles. Ten came back afraid and said, “We can’t go.” But Joshua and Caleb saw the same reality through different eyes and said, “We can do it. The Lord is with us.”
The difference was not the giants. The difference was their vision.
Fear can blind us to what God is doing. We can become so focused on the obstacles, the details, the risks, and the unknowns that we forget the promise of God.
But Isaiah 43 reminds us that God makes a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
The invitation is simple: behold Him.
Look again.
Open your eyes.
Pay attention.
Fix your eyes on Jesus.
The question is not whether God is moving. God is always moving. The question is: do we perceive it?
Maybe you are stuck in yesterday, living off what God did but no longer believing for what He can do.
Maybe you are comfortable, thankful for where God has brought you but no longer asking, “God, what’s next?”
Maybe you are looking at tomorrow and feeling afraid because you see giants, obstacles, and reasons why it might not work.
But God says, “I am with you.”
He was with you.
He is with you.
He will be with you.
Revelation 1:8 says that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the One who is, who was, and who is to come.
The next generation needs a church that believes this. Students need parents, leaders, grandparents, and believers who will tell the stories of God’s faithfulness, celebrate what He is doing now, and stand with them as they trust Him for the future.
We do not just remember what God did.
We do not just celebrate what God is doing.
We trust Him with what He is going to do.
Yesterday belongs to Him.
Today belongs to Him.
Tomorrow belongs to Him.
So when you do not know what tomorrow holds, behold Him.
When you do not know how the way will be made, behold Him.
When you see the giants, behold Him.
When you find yourself in the wilderness, behold Him.
When God does something you have never seen before, behold Him.
He was faithful yesterday.
He is faithful today.
He will be faithful tomorrow.
Behold, He is doing a new thing.
Pastor Breanne encouraged students to write down what God did at camp. Why is it important to remember and record testimonies?
Isaiah 43 reminds us that God made a way through the sea before promising to do a new thing. How does remembering God’s past faithfulness help us trust Him now?
The sermon said the problem is not remembering the past, but when the past becomes the only place we believe God can move. Have you ever found yourself stuck in “what God did” instead of looking for what He is doing?
Camp was described as a launch pad, not a destination. What would it look like to carry a moment with God into everyday life?
The tribes of Reuben and Gad settled for land that was good, but not the Promised Land. Where might comfort be keeping you from pursuing more of what God has for you?
The twelve spies saw the same land, giants, and obstacles, but Joshua and Caleb saw through faith. What “giants” are you currently facing, and how might God be asking you to see them differently?
The message asked, “Do you perceive it?” Where do you see signs that God is doing a new thing in your life, family, church, or generation?
How can our church better support, pray for, and believe in the next generation?