Can You See the New Thing? A Birthday Reflection on Isaiah 43
I have a pastor friend with a very unusual tradition: on his birthday, he gives out the gifts. Needless to say, his children — and especially his grandchildren — look forward to his birthday every year.
As I turn 43, I want to give you a birthday gift too.
First, a word I believe the Holy Spirit is releasing right now. Second, something very near and dear to my heart.
The Word: Isaiah 43 — Can You See the New Thing?
There's no spiritual rhyme or reason to why I do this, but when I turn a certain age, I like to look up chapters and verses in Scripture that match that number. This year, I started exploring some of the unique "43's" in Scripture. This isn't a surefire way of receiving supernatural intel from Heaven — it's more of a fun exercise. But this year, the exercise quickly turned prophetic when I revisited a chapter that has been on my heart all season: Isaiah 43.
This is the chapter where the Lord announces He's about to do something new:
"Do not remember the past events; pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert." — Isaiah 43:18-19 (CSB)
Or as the ESV puts it:
"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." — Isaiah 43:18-19 (ESV)
And the NLT brings it home with even more color:
"Forget all that — it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland." — Isaiah 43:18-19 (NLT)
In no way is God saying we shouldn't remember what He's done in times past — the testimonies and stories of breakthrough. Hardly. The whole of the Old Testament is a history of breakthrough, answered prayer, and miraculous intervention — the unveiling of the real, living Yahweh breaking into real time and space on behalf of His covenant people.
But — and please track with me here, because this is the Word — God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is the Lord; He does not change, and He will not move in ways that violate Scripture. But He will start doing things in unique, fresh ways. New ways that, if we're not careful, will violate our expectations — not because they're unbiblical, but because they're different than we anticipated.
Consider Jesus. When He came onto the scene, Israel was seeking a liberator from Roman oppression. They certainly received a Liberator — His name and nature were entirely consistent with Old Testament prophecy. But they wanted a particular kind of liberator. And for those insistent that Jesus should overthrow the political and governmental order, sadly, they missed what the True Liberator was actually offering.
It had everything to do with what they saw.
Do You See the New Thing Breaking Forth?
Notice the "see" language in verse 19: "Do you not see it?" Paul the apostle famously prayed that the eyes of our understanding would be opened — that we'd have Holy Spirit-inspired sight to discern what God is doing. This is an expression of the gift of discernment. Many people put discernment exclusively in the context of recognizing demonic or dark forces, but part of the gift is also recognizing angelic activity and the movement of the Holy Spirit. My friend Becca Greenwood does an outstanding job teaching this in her book Discerning the Spirit Realm.
I believe the Lord is giving us eyes to see His unique activity right now. And I'll tell you — it demands supernatural sight to recognize rivers in the desert. Why? Because it's so easy for our vision to be consumed by the hopeless dryness of the desert, when in fact the Holy Spirit has given us the ability to see exactly what He's doing in the middle of it.
That's the gift I want to give you this year on my 43rd birthday: the ability to see what the Holy Spirit is doing, even when you're in a dry and barren place. Even when the sickness seems to be getting worse, or the prodigal is running further from God, or there's no natural solution to the problem in front of you. And big picture — I want you to have eyes to see what the Holy Spirit is doing in the middle of a day of crisis, shaking, and anxiety.
What I See the Holy Spirit Doing
I want you to see it too. Here's what's happening around us right now — not anecdote, but documented trend:
Gen Z is returning to church in numbers no one predicted. Barna Group's 2026 State of the Church research found the typical Gen Z churchgoer now attends nearly twice as often as they did five years ago — for the first time in decades, surpassing the attendance rate of Baby Boomers. Commitment to Jesus among Gen Z men has climbed sharply since 2019.
College campuses are seeing mass salvations. The Unite US movement, which began with 5,000 students at Auburn University in 2023, has since spread to more than 20 campuses nationwide — drawing 10,000+ students at Texas A&M, 8,000+ at the University of Kentucky and University of Tennessee, and thousands more at Samford — with tens of thousands professing faith and being baptized along the way.
Bible sales just hit a 21-year high in the U.S. Circana BookScan reported roughly 19 million Bibles sold in 2025 — up 12% over 2024 and more than double 2019's numbers. The U.K. saw its highest Bible sales ever recorded that same year.
A growing number of Americans sense revival is on the horizon. A March 2026 Barna survey found nearly 3 in 10 U.S. adults (29%) now believe a spiritual revival is likely in the next 12 months — rising to 38% among Gen Z. Prayer, young people turning toward God, and a search for meaning top the list of reasons why. Interestingly, younger adults point to mental health struggles and personal disruption as revival catalysts, while Baby Boomers point to the very movement they're witnessing among the young.
Cultural conversation is shifting. Even secular public intellectuals are engaging Scripture and faith with fresh curiosity, creating unexpected on-ramps for a skeptical generation to encounter the Bible.
These are days of revival. My prayer is that we would have eyes to see what the Spirit is doing — and hearts ready to partner with His activity.
A Resource for the Journey: Glory River
As I've been praying through all of this, I keep coming back to a new book by Tim Sheets and Rachel Shafer, Glory River. It's a resource that has genuinely helped me see what the Lord is doing right now — revelatory teaching, prophetic words, and dynamic decrees woven together in a way I believe is truly "for such a time as this." If you're a pastor, leader, or simply someone hungry to recognize God's activity in this hour, it's worth your time.
You can access a free preview of the book here (another birthday gift!)
A Prayer for Eyes to See
Holy Spirit, give me eyes to see the new thing You are doing right now. Help me not be overwhelmed by the darkness or dryness around me. Instead, empower me to see the unique work You are doing, for You are pouring out Rivers of Revival in dry places!
References
Barna Group, State of the Church 2026: Young Adults Lead a Resurgence in Church Attendance — barna.com
Barna Group & Gloo, Gen Z Most Likely to Believe Revival Is Coming to America (March 2026 survey release)
Circana BookScan, reported via Publishers Weekly, Bible Sales Break Records in U.S., U.K. (January 2026)
Christian Today, Bible Sales Surge to Record Levels Among Gen Z on Both Sides of the Atlantic
CBN News, ChurchLeaders, and Samford University coverage of the Unite US campus revival movement
Tim Sheets and Rachel Shafer, Glory River: Waters to Swim In (2026)