Isaiah 65:17 – “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I heard several things. The thoughts were: Do over. Generational word. No king, but… Recognize.   Those may seem unconnected, but let’s consider them.

Isaiah 65:17 caused me to pause and contemplate!  I thought, this is God’s Do Over!   No, He is not trying to correct an error, but a reality that God is never without a plan, and for man, God is a God of second chances. Tragically, some live as if that second chance extends into eternity.

In Jeremiah 2:31, we find God speaking through the prophet a word to a generation.  God is a personal God, but speaks to generations and nations. He has a word for this generation. We need to hear His call.

In John 19:15, the religious crowd proclaimed their true allegiance – “We have no king but Caesar.”  We all have a king in our lives.  The question is, who is that king?  Where our treasure is defines and identifies our King.  If Jesus is King, we honor and serve Him.  We exhibit love, not hate. We serve rather than demand to be served.

Then John 20:14 stopped me in my tracks with a disturbing reality.  Mary was at the tomb seeking the body of Jesus.  She saw the angels and then turned and saw Jesus.  “But she did not know that it was Jesus.”  We do that.  We see Him but do not recognize Him.  We see it in other people.  We see it in opportunities almost daily.  Sadly, too often, we do not see Jesus. We see people or problems and fail to recognize Jesus in them.

Is this disconnected?  I don’t think so.  If we truly understand that God’s mercy extends second chances to us, we realize it does for others as well, and mercy flows.  If we understand that God has generational words, we discern the times and yield to His present purposes.  If we realize that everyone has a king, we more readily reject the flesh and turn to God.  If we understand that God is in everything, we will always recognize Jesus, no matter who or what we encounter.

Father, help us discern the times!