New Thing

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19

Quoholeth, the central figure of the Book of Ecclesiastes, seems to be very pessimistic. He says all is vanity, all is futile, right at the very start. I guess this is what Pete Seeger thought as well. Pete was a defiant song writer. His publisher implored him, “Pete, can’t you write another song like ‘Goodnight, Irene’? I can’t sell or promote your protest songs.” Pete answered back, “You better find another songwriter. This is the only kind of song I know how to write.”

But Pete came up with a winner after he leafed through his battered notebook and found the words from Ecclesiastes. He composed “Turn, Turn, Turn” in 1959, which he felt was a call to action, another protest song. It became a hit and many artists recorded their own version of the song. But the most popular was the one released by the Byrds in 1965, which was imbued with a sense of urgency and became the protest song of the 60s when American troops landed in Vietnam. 

“A time of war, a time of peace,” everyone sang the catchy melody, “A time to love, a time to hate…To everything (Turn, turn, turn) There is a season (Turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose Under Heaven, A time to gain, a time to lose, A time to rend, a time to sow, A time for love, a time for hate, A time for peace, I swear it's not too late.” Perhaps most of those singing did not realize they were quoting almost direct from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. 

More than a sense of futility, the Book of Ecclesiastes was a work of apologetics, a defense of a life of faith in God. What Quoholeth was really saying was that it was futile to live without faith. Life would have no purpose, no meaning. It would be a barren wasteland, a desert, a bankrupt life. 

In Isaiah 43:19, we read, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Only God can make something from nothing. Only God can create something from a void. Can we perceive how He is changing the world in this time of pandemic and a possible world war? If we take the time to stop worrying, or complaining, perhaps we will see this new world and the opportunities He is creating. 

Father, help me to open my eyes wide to what You want me to see. Guide me in Your new paths and show me what I must do to lay hold of the treasures You have for me each day.