When the Former Thing No Longer Works

Genesis 31:4-13, ESV 

And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”

1 Kings 17:6-9a, NIV

The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at once…

Luke 5:5a, 10b-11, ESV

And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! … And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

When the former thing no longer works, it might be time to move on—it might be signifying the dawning of a new thing.

God pours out grace to do the things He calls His people to do. And when that “grace lifts,” as people in the church say:), it’s often an indication that we’re nearing a season of moving on—sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively. When that happens, we must resist the fleshly urge to hold tightly to the old out of fear of the new.

We must never be afraid to let go of the old to move into the new—even when the new is unknown (and it usually is;)—because God’s promises for the new are always good.

Isaiah 43:18-19a, NIV

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

Philippians 3:13b-14, NIV

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

When it no longer works, God might just be calling you on. 

Burn the plow (1 Kings 19:21), and don’t look back (Genesis 19:17). 

From now on, you’ll be moving into the land of promise. 

From now on, you’ll be fed in a new place. 

From now on, you’ll be fishing for men.