The following devotion was shared at our Special Parish Meeting on 29 June 2026. Drawing on Isaiah 43:19, it encourages us to recognise God's work among us and to look to the future with faith, hope and confidence in his leading.
Our devotional reading this morning is from Isaiah 43:19: "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."
When the prophet Isaiah wrote these words, the Israelites were facing very difficult circumstances. Many were discouraged, uncertain and weary. Yet God assured them that he has not abandoned them. He was preparing a way forward. He was bringing hope where there seemed to be no hope, and life where there seemed to be only wilderness.
This promise reminds us that God is always at work. He is faithful to his people, and he is able to accomplish things that we could never achieve in our own strength.
As I reflect on our own church, I believe we are beginning to see God doing something new among us. There is fresh energy, growing enthusiasm and genuine excitement about the future. We are seeing more people willing to serve in different ministries, more people eager to grow in their faith, and a greater desire to be involved in the mission of our church. These are encouraging signs of God’s gracious work among us, and I thank him for it.
As we meet today, my prayer is that we will not only recognise what God is doing but also join him in that work. This “new thing” is not something we create; it is something God is doing, and we are invited to participate in it.
So I encourage each of us to continue praying for our church, to remain positive and hopeful, to trust what God is doing, and to make ourselves available whenever he calls us to serve. If God opens a door for you to contribute to the life and mission of our church, step through it with faith and joy. As we seek his wisdom together in this meeting, may we be people who perceive what God is doing and faithfully where he leads.
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are always at work among your people. We praise you for your faithfulness and for the encouraging signs of your grace that we are seeing in the life of St Augustine’s. As we meet today, give us wisdom, humility and unity. Guide our discussions and decisions by your Holy Spirit, so that we may seek your will and faithfully serve your purposes. Help us to recognise the new thing you are doing among us and give us willing hearts to join in your work for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. In his name we pray. Amen.
