As I reflected on this passage from Isaiah, I was drawn to the rhetorical question in the middle of the reading: “Do you not see it?” Preceding this question is God’s statement that he is about to do something new. The text goes on to paint this beautiful picture of renewal and refreshment. The text is set within the corporate context of the nation of Israel, but as Christians our minds are drawn to a similar idea in the New Testament. Philippians 1:6 states: “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

As we set out in these early days of Lent, that question provides a useful opportunity for reflection: “Do you not see it?” Do we not see the “good work that is at work within us? Do we not see the work that God is doing on our hearts? Do we not see the doors that he is opening before us? Do we not hear that soft, quiet whisper beckoning us to begin a conversation with someone new or to check in on a brother or sister? Do we not see it?

For many of us, the most honest response might be, “How can we?” With all the noise and busyness that clutters or lives how can we see what God is doing around us? May that be your focus in the coming weeks: that you find time to unpack the noise and busyness and find time to see what may be right in front of our eyes... if we would just look.