Firstly, my warm wishes to you all for 2026:
May you know the sustaining comfort and reassurance of God’s hand holding yours as you step into all this year holds (Isaiah 41:10, 13).
It would be easy to think I randomly plucked out Isaiah 43:19 as an appropriate word for the start of a New Year. In fact, it has been brewing on my heart for some weeks, alongside gentle but repeated guidance I have sensed from the Holy Spirit for 2026.
The “new thing” to share with you in this context is a change from “Word for the Month” to “A Season to Dwell With…”; a word for us to dwell on for for a few months rather than just for one. I am keen to prevent these messages from falling into a rut, then a wilderness then a wasteland, and am seeking God’s fresh living waters to nourish my life and yours.
So, as I continue to ponder the new things God has been nudging me to make way for, I leave you to dwell with this verse too:
– Is there a new thing that you sense God wants to make way for? If so, how might you encourage that transition?
– If not, is this an appropriate moment to ask Him, even if the answer is no?
– Do you perceive any places of ‘wilderness’ or ‘wasteland’ in your life? If so, seek Him for a fresh spring of living water to spring up, nourish and lead you forward.