Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? Isaiah 43:19, NKJV

Earlier this week, I sat with my family reflecting on the ways our faith in Jesus has been strengthened throughout 2025.  It was a special time to look back in our rear view mirror --not just for the sake of nostalgia, but for the sake of seeing Jesus and discerning His activity in our past experiences.  As the calendar turns into a new year, we stand in a unique position not just to look back but also to look ahead.  In Isaiah 43:19, God is drawing our attention to the new things He will do in our lives.  But how do we actually "behold" those new things God is up to?  It may feel a little late to be going back to the Christmas story, but I believe the shepherds on the hills of Bethlehem actually model qualities we can adopt to receive the new things God will do in the new year.  

SPIRITUAL WATCHFULNESS

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  Luke 2:8, NKJV

From the very get go, what we notice about the shepherds is that they were watchful, faithfully keeping guard over the flock entrusted to them.  What has God entrusted to your watchful care?  Maybe in answer to that question your mind goes to the resources you have or the responsibilities you hold.  And while those are good answers, the shepherds show us that our primary trust may lie in the relationships we've been given, especially our relationship with God:

In the fields where the boy David had led his flock, shepherds were still keeping watch by night. Through the silent hours they talked together of the promised Savior, and prayed for the coming of the King to David’s throne (Ellen White, The Desire of Ages, 47.)

The shepherds were keeping watch not just over their flocks but also over their faith, and that put them in position to have an ear tuned to heaven's revelation of the new things God was doing.  

As we enter 2026, we need watchfulness over more than just our schedules and savings.  

We need the spiritual watchfulness of rehearsing the promises of God's Word and seeking Him in prayer.  And let's not overlook the fact that the shepherds did this together, not just in personal solitude.  Similarly, in the new year, we can keep watch over our faith TOGETHER -- eagerly embracing opportunities like 10 Days of Prayer, Sabbath School classes, or small groups and other circles of community.  As we remember what God has promised together and pray for the fulfillment of God's promises together, that united experience will put us in prime position to behold new things God will do in our lives.

ACTIVE RESPONSIVENESS

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” Luke 2:15, NKJV

I love the fact that the shepherds' diligent watchfulness for God's activity didn't just leave them as distant spectators of God's activity.  Once the shepherds heard the angels' gospel proclamation in Luke 2:10-14, that divine revelation turned into immediate action.  The heaven-sent message moved them to get up and "go to Bethlehem" (Lk. 2:15) to find the Messiah in a manger for themselves, and they did so "with haste" (v. 16).  When our eyes and ears become open to the new things God is doing in our midst, don't be surprised when that revelation inspires a redirection of our own priorities and effort.  It's hard to expect God to do new things in our lives when we are unwilling to do new things ourselves.

When we discover that God is on the move, let's be quick to move with Him.

In 2026, let's not be content to just sit back and watch the new things God does.  Instead, let's commit to readily participate in what we recognize God doing, even if it requires investing our time and energy in ways that are outside our comfort zones or prior expectations.

PERSONAL WITNESS

When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. Luke 2:17-18, NIV

Do you see the progression of the shepherds' experience?  Their spiritual watchfulness put them in position to receive the gospel announcement of God's divine activity and led to an active responsiveness to see it all for themselves.  All this led to a personal experience that gave them a personal testimony to share with others around them.  When the shepherds came into personal contact with Christ, they couldn't keep all they had seen and heard to themselves.  And the same will be true of us.  When we recognize and respond to the new things God is doing in our lives,

we will be compelled to spread the word, leading others to experience for themselves the power and presence of God.  

The reality is that there are precious souls all around us who have no idea that there is good news of great joy for all people (Lk. 2:10), and the stories of what we've experienced of God in our lives can impact their lives for eternity.  When our watchfulness becomes a witness, the new things God does for us can be a springboard for God to do new things through us.

Friends, I invite you to take the promise of Isaiah 43:19 to heart this new year.  Look with eager anticipation for the ways God will do new things in your life and may already be doing now.  Look with a heart that is watchful, a life that is responsive, and a mouth that is quick to tell others of what you've seen and heard.

🙏🏼 PRAYER

Lord, I look to You as the God who will do new things in this new year!  Please stir my heart to cling to your promises and seek you in prayer, and surround me with spiritual friends who will encourage me to keep doing so.  Throughout this new year, lead me to keep experiencing Your divine activity, and don't let the blessing of those new things stop with me.  Let my stories of Your goodness have saving influence on those around me in 2026!