By: Sarah Geringer
Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.
Ecclesiastes 1:10 NLT
The trends from my teens are appearing again. My daughter is turning 13 this year, and she's into all of the trends. I remember those high-waisted and acid-washed jeans, tie-dyed shirts, hair scrunchies and chunky shoes being super cool when I was in junior high school, 25+ years ago.
But it's not new for marketers to bring back the old and make it new. When I was a teen, trends from the 1970's were brought back into style. Hip-hugging, bell-bottomed jeans were cool again, along with hippie prints and hemp jewelry. So it's nothing new to bring what's retro back to life, if the marketers can grab more profits from our nostalgia.
However, in the chaos of 2020, a lot of things DID feel new. Quarantine. Mask-wearing ordinances. Riots in many cities. Plunging public opinion of institutions. I could go on, but I'm sure you prefer that I don't bring that stuff back into the light. I don't know about you, but I was reminiscing about the old last year in order to escape the new.
Today's verse from Ecclesiastes grounds us in unchanging truth. In my lifetime, I have seen many new inventions, and I expect to see more as long as I'm living. I'll likely see more chaos and struggle worldwide, and even in my own life. But I don't think that's what the writer of Ecclesiastes meant. He meant that the hopes, dreams, desires, struggles and temptations of the human heart don't change, generation from generation.
One thing I love about reading the One Year Bible is revisiting the same truths again and again. Each year, I revisit the same lessons on certain days, since the readings are the same each year. But the difference is that my life is not the same. My situations, fears, and prayer requests seem new, and they are often frustrating or even scary. Yet God is still firmly in control, as he was each year that I read those same comforting truths. This knowledge grounds my faith once more.
I'm choosing not to join the mom jean trend - they never looked good on me anyway. But I am steeping myself in the ancient truths of God's Word daily, letting the old become new again in my life. His truth never changes, and it's an anchor for me in the ever-changing seasons of the culture. The Bible will always be new, exciting and fresh to me, because God's Word is alive through the power of the Holy Spirit (Heb. 4:12).
When old is new again in your Bible study, you can have newness of life with God. May your faith be revived and refreshed today as you spend time with your Lord, contemplating his faithfulness to you in every season.
Check out my book on trusting God in times of transition HERE.
Finding Peace in God's Word
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