January 4, 2024

New Beginnings


Just at the right time, these verses changed the course of my life. They pierced my heart, and it seems for months that every time I opened my Bible, I came back to this. I sensed God was speaking, and my regular time of prayer confirmed it over and over. 

Matthew 9:16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

I knew this text meant Jesus was the fulfillment of the New Covenant, meaning He was the payment for our sins by his death on the cross and now the only way to God. (In the Old Covenant, true believers looked forward to Jesus' coming, but others relied on full obedience to the Law- the Ten Commandments and more- to bring them salvation.) But this time, these verses also penetrated my heart with their personal motivation for change. I can't explain it more than that.

So, with the agreement of my wife, I bravely stepped out and left my job without another one waiting. I had no idea what I was to do. Never had I done that before as I was always taught to make sure I'd secured new employment before leaving a position. It hurt deeply to leave, but new beginnings also mean something must end.

Yet, a couple of weeks later, I was having a conversation with a new friend. It led to a new job. The hiring manager said "Had you waited a few more mores, days even, I would have given this position to someone else. But you are perfect for this job." 

There it was. God was in fact leading us to something new. My wife and I had heard His Voice after all, and He had led us to this. This wasn't about us. It was instead, a testimony to His faithfulness and steadfast care. He is good- even when things don't make sense.

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