Prison Chaplain Has a Miracle Message for 2022
By Jody Griffin
Avery and Mitchell Counties
“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19)
A common expression spoken around the New Year goes something like this: ‘Out with the old, in with the new.” 2022 brings an opportunity to witness the power of God to create newness. In the world of the incarcerated, there is no more important word than this! For the circumstances that we live and serve in are very simply not permanent. (No matter how one may feel…)
The promise delivered to the world in this verse of Holy Scripture is that the God Who spoke the world into being and is NOT limited in ability to continually do something new. The description of this ‘new’ thing suggests that when God does something ‘new’, it will be a surprise to those who see it and try to comprehend/understand it.
Imagine standing amid desert sands and suddenly a river begins to flow! Or, being lost in the middle of an overgrown forest with no idea of what direction to take to make your way out and then without warning, a way is made clear! Now THOSE things would be surprising!
This is the message the Chaplain seeks to convey to every person, every day! (And on occasion needs reminding himself.)
In reality, most humans allow the past to inform our present and to shape our future way more often than we trust in God’s Promise that new opportunities are heading our way. Many believers have suffered the hard knocks of our own poor decisions and the resulting consequences. It’s easy to convince ourselves that ‘nothing ever changes.’ But such is NOT the case at all!
“Feeling stuck in your current situation or that you have lost your way in life? The Promise of God is that a surprising new way is just ahead!”
It is likewise important to realize that this ‘new thing’ is a Blessing delivered in miraculous ways!
To embrace this prophetic declaration one must let go of nagging doubts that challenge faith. And perhaps one must also let go of the accompanying fear of change…fear that can keep us stuck because the tasks associated with change seem so overwhelming…
But when one decides to take God’s Promise to heart, then something new begins within!
Choose to believe in the Power of God to do something new today! The results just may surprise you!
Thank you so much for your continued support of this ministry! Every day brings new hope to those who live and work behind the gates and within the walls.
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Jody Griffin is pastor of Central Baptist Church in Spruce Pine and Community Funded Chaplin at Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution. If you would like more information contact him at joseph.griffin@ncdps.gov.
Read more good Christian news from Jody HERE.
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