How to Trust God in a New Season

 Trusting God in a new season sounds exciting, until things start to feel uncertain, slow, or nothing is changing in the way you hoped. Then it's not always easy to know what God is actually doing. We expect the 'new thing' to come with clarity, open doors, and momentum—but what if I told you that God's new work often doesn't look like that at all? And when we don't understand how God actually works in new seasons, we end up anxious, second-guessing ourselves, or convinced we missed His timing. So I want to talk about the one misunderstanding that keeps us stuck in that cycle, and what Isaiah 43:19 shows us about how to recognize God's hand even when nothing feels new yet.

After living in the DC Metro area for a few years after my husband and I got married, we decided to move back down to North Carolina—both of our home states—to be closer to family. And it felt like this amazing new start that we were so excited about.

But that also meant new jobs, new friends, a new home. And like most people, when you start something new, it's exciting—until it's not.

See, I had planned on starting fresh and getting a new job right when we moved back. But God quickly revealed to me that I would be a stay-at-home mom. And that was not in my plan. Donald got a new job, but he was working night shift—so we very rarely even saw each other.

What we expected to be an exciting new beginning came with its fair share of challenges, obstacles to overcome, and new lessons to learn. And it was in that season that I learned something: as excited as we are to enter new seasons, if we're not careful to understand how God actually works in them, that excitement can quickly turn into confusion, discouragement, or even doubt.

So if you're in a season right now that doesn't feel as new or as clear as you hoped it would, I want to walk through three steps that Isaiah 43:19 teaches us about how to actually trust God when He's doing a new thing.

3 Steps to Trusting God in a New Season

Today's verse was written to God's people who were in exile in Babylon; meaning they were far from home, everything familiar was gone, and they were probably wondering if God was still working. And in that season, God gives them this promise of hope: He's about to do a new thing. He says:

"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:19 ESV)

Now here's what we need to see here, and I think this is what keeps so many of us anxious and confused: the new thing God is doing isn't waiting for us on the other side of the wilderness. It's happening right in the middle of it.

STEP 1: PERCEIVE WHAT GOD IS DOING

So if the new thing is happening in the wilderness, how do we actually trust God in seasons like this? Well, notice that the verse starts with the word "behold"—and ends with a question: "do you not perceive it?" God is saying: Look. Pay attention. I'm working—can you see it? And that's the first step: perceive what God is doing.

Now, we often have a challenge perceiving that God is doing something new because we already have preconceived notions and expectations about what "new" should look like. We start with ourselves—what we think, what we want—and that shapes our expectations. But if we want to see God doing a new thing, we need to start with Him. What does He want? What does He desire? Because when we know His character and His ways, we can more easily recognize when God is moving and doing something new.

See, when you're in the wilderness, it doesn't look like anything new is happening. But that doesn't mean God's not moving, He's not working, He's not doing the new thing He said He would. And it's up to us to have the faith to know that even when we can't see it, God is still at work.

I think about the concept of object permanence—it's our ability to understand that just because we can't see something doesn't mean it's not there. This is something we develop early in childhood, but babies don't have it yet. If I'm playing with my baby and then I hide behind the couch, they might start crying because they don't understand that I'm still there—they just can't see me. But as you grow and mature, you start to recognize: oh, Mom is just behind the couch. I can't see her, but she's still there.

We need that same kind of growth in our spiritual lives. And it does take time to develop—to understand that just because I can't see God, just because I can't feel Him, doesn't mean He's not there. And so just like a mom would say to a crying baby, "Don't worry, honey, I was just behind the couch—I'm still here," God is saying to us, "Just because you're in the wilderness, just because you're in the desert, don't worry—I'm still here. Can you perceive it?"

STEP 2: RECEIVE WHAT GOD IS DOING

So we start by learning to perceive—to see that God is still working even in the wilderness. But seeing it is only the first step. The second step is to receive what God is doing; to accept and surrender to the new way God is making. 

I shared with you earlier that I was so excited about our new season in North Carolina; getting a new job, starting over, being closer to family. And it did hold many good, new gifts for us that we still benefit from to this day. But I would be lying to you if I told you it was all easy.

Because when I realized that I wasn't going back to work as I expected in this new season, it took a season of me really leaning into God to accept that. Now don't get me wrong—I love being a stay-at-home mom. But that new season didn't match the expectation I once held. And so I had to let that idea go so that I could actually receive the new thing that God was doing.

And here's something we often miss about new seasons: they start because another season ended. We can only receive the new when we let go of what was old. Jesus said it this way in Luke 5:37-38: 

"No one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins... But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins." (Luke 5:37-38 ESV)

In other words, new wine needs new wineskins—a new container to hold it. The lesson here is: you can't keep holding on to what was and expect to fully receive what God is doing new now. You have to let go of what was to make room for what's new.

So when it comes to trusting God in new seasons, it's not just enough to know that He's doing something new, we have to actively let go of what was in the old season. Maybe it's an attitude. Maybe it's an expectation. Maybe it's an unhealthy relationship, a dream, a way of doing things, or a habit.

When you can precieve the new thing God is doing, we need to ask ourselves, what are we holding on to that's stopping us from fully walking into it? That's what you have to let go of so that you can receive the new thing.

STEP 3: BELIEVE WHAT GOD IS DOING

Now, even when we perceive what God is doing and surrender to receive it, there are still going to be days when it's hard to trust. Days when the wilderness feels too long, too hard, too unclear. And that's where the third step comes in: believe—not just that God is working, but that He is working for your good. That His work is in your favor.

The thing about belief is that it drives our actions—which is why it's so important to God that we believe in Him. Because when we don't, we start to make our own ways. We start to try to forge our own paths. But today's scripture makes it very clear: God said, "I will make a way in the wilderness." He will do it. He's the one doing the new thing. Not us. 

So it's not our job to make the new thing happen or to force the new season into existence. Our job is to perceive that God is the one who will do it, to receive the way in which He decides to do it, and to believe that His way is the best way. The Bible says in Isaiah 55:9, 

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9 ESV)

God's ways are better. His timing is better. His path is better, even when it doesn't make sense to us yet. And here's the reality: oftentimes, we find ourselves circling the same mountains over and over again because we're doing things our way. We keep making the same mistakes and not learning the lessons from them, instead of surrendering to God's way as the better way. And to do that, to truly surrender, it takes trust and belief, not just in what God is doing, but in who He is. In His character. In His heart for us.

When you believe that God is for you, that He's working for your good, that His plans are better than yours, you can rest in the wilderness. You can trust in the waiting. You can let go of control. Because you know that the God who makes a way in the wilderness is the same God who loves you, who sees you, and who will not leave you there.

CONCLUSION

When you start perceiving what God is doing, receiving it by letting go of the old, and believing that He's working for your good, everything shifts.

You wake up in the middle of uncertainty and instead of spiraling, you feel peace. You're able to rest in the waiting because you actually trust that God is making a way, even when you can't see it yet. You stop carrying the pressure to figure everything out, force every door open, or make the new thing happen on your timeline, because you know God is the one doing the work, and His way is better.

But here's what makes all of this possible: the gospel.

See, we can perceive, receive, and believe what God is doing in our lives because of what Christ has already done on the cross. Jesus walked through His own wilderness—tempted, tested, rejected, and ultimately crucified—so that we could be reconciled to God. And on the third day, He rose again, making a way where there was no way. The resurrection is proof that God does His greatest work in the places that look most like death.

So when you're in the wilderness, when nothing feels new, when you can't see the outcome yet—remember this: the same God who raised Christ from the dead is the God working in your life right now. He's not asking you to manufacture hope or force breakthrough. He's inviting you to trust in the finished work of the cross and believe that He is faithful to complete what He's started in you.

That's what's possible. Not a life without wilderness seasons, but a life where you can trust God in them—because you know that the God who didn't spare His own Son will graciously give you all things. Where worry, fear, and doubt don't have to run the show anymore, because you believe that God is for you, and He's working all things together for your good. And He is.

But I also know that believing that, especially when anxiety is loud and the wilderness feels long, is not always easy. And if you've been struggling with worry in this season, wondering if God is really going to come through, if things are going to be okay, I created something just for you.

It's called the Worry-Free Bible Study, and we walk through the three lies that are feeding your worry—and the truth from Scripture that sets you free. It's available at belovedwomen.org and in the Beloved Women App. If you're ready to trade worry for peace, I'd love for you to join me in this Study. 

Thanks so much for watching and until next time, be beautiful, be blessed, and beloved.