While reflecting on the coming new year, I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I was thinking about the changing of seasons. The winter solstice was on December 21, and a new year is on the horizon. I wrote the following words in my journal…

Seasons come and seasons go, but the Word of the Lord remains the same.
Seasons come and seasons go, like the ebb and flow of the tide.

I began to ponder the meaning of “the ebb and flow of the tide.” It’s interesting to note that the ebb and flow of the tide is caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon, and by Earth’s rotation. This ebb and flow is a rhythmic rising and falling of the tide.

Then I heard the prompting of the Holy Spirit… In the time of seasonal change, I saw the Lord high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Immediately, I was reminded of Isaiah 6:1.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Isaiah 6:1 (NKJV)

In this verse, we read about a changing season, a changing of the guard. If you’ve ever experienced a change in leadership at work, or if you’ve voted in a governmental election. These seasons of a changing of the guard can bring with them mixed emotions. Perhaps you feel expectant, excited, nervous, leery, or cautious. 

In thinking about Isaiah, I imagine he was feeling a measure of sadness in the midst of all of the feelings associated with a changing of the guard. You see, King Uzziah wasn’t just the king at that time; he was also Isaiah’s uncle. The year that King Uzziah died didn’t just mark a changing of the guard for Isaiah; it was also the passing of a family member. Isaiah SAW the Lord, high and lifted, during a season that likely carried sadness and uncertainty. 

If you’ve ever read the book of Isaiah, then you know it is full of prophecies. The book begins with prophecies from the Lord, directed at a rebellious and sinful nation. Isaiah is in the midst of declaring these prophecies when the King dies. It is during this time, when Isaiah is focused on the sinfulness of mankind, that he sees the Lord and gets a glimpse of what the seraphim see. 

And they (the seraphim) were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.” Isaiah 6:3 (NIV)

While Isaiah’s focus was on the sinfulness of man, the seraphim were focused on the holiness and glory of God. And just like Isaiah, we need a revelation of God’s glory in our lives!

In Isaiah 6:5-7, Isaiah recognizes his own sinfulness in light of the holiness and glory of God that he sees in his vision of the Holy of Holies. It’s this beautiful image of repentance – Isaiah’s lips are touched with a burning coal, his guilt is removed, and his sins are forgiven and atoned for.

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it, he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sins atoned for.” Isaiah 6:5-7 (NIV)

I can’t help but wonder if Isaiah was repenting for the words that he had spoken and the earthly perspective he had allowed his heart to focus on. Our words are powerful and creative, and our hearts’ affection is important. What we allow to linger within our souls has the power to change our perspective; to shift our focus off of the Holy of Holies and the finished work of the cross. What we see and focus on is amplified and can cause us to doubt God’s goodness, to agree with that doubt, and to denounce God’s promises over our lives with the words of our mouths. 

Doubting God’s goodness can cause us to miss out on His blessings for us; doubt can steal the promise!

Doubt takes us back to the Garden of Eden, where sin first entered the world. Eve’s sin was less about the fruit that she ate and more about doubting the goodness of God. The question that caused Eve to sin, and that causes me (us) to doubt God’s goodness (which is also sin), is “Did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1). It’s the bitter fruit of a heart that doubts God’s goodness; the bitter fruit of questioning His faithfulness; the bitter fruit of forgetting that God isn’t a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19), and that His promises are “yes” and “amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

As the season changes and a new year is emerging before us, I encourage you to sit with the Lord and reflect on the past season. Consider where you have been and where God was in 2025. Reflect on the past season, allow the Holy Spirit to convict you, and the goodness of God to draw you to repentance. 

So repent [change your inner self - your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God - seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day]. Acts 3:19 (AMP)

Reflect but don’t linger on the past for too long. Repent of anything the Holy Spirit puts His finger on, and ask Him to guide your steps in 2026. Ask the Holy Spirit for a throne room revelation (a glimpse of the Holy of Holies). Ask Him to help you focus on a Heavenly perspective in the new year. Invite the Holy Spirit into your plans; ask Him to reveal to you what God is doing and how you can partner with Him to bring Heaven to Earth in 2026.

Invite God to rearrange your plans according to His will. 

Change is bittersweet. And changing seasons can be met with excitement, sadness, trepidation, joy – any combination of conflicting feelings. We need a glimpse of God’s glory and holiness. We need a genuine understanding of the finished work of the cross in our lives.

In Isaiah 6:8, following Isaiah’s reflection and repentance, he is commissioned to go – to be a mouthpiece for the Lord – to be obedient. And Isaiah’s immediate response is, “Here am I. Send me!”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)

In light of God’s holiness, glory, unconditional love, and forgiveness, our only reasonable response should be, “Here am I. Send me!” When you know what you’ve been saved and redeemed from, how can you not love God and want to serve Him?

As we come to the end of one year and look in expectation for what is to come, I encourage you to spend some time with God – reflect on what was (the highs and the lows), commit the past to Him, ask Him to reveal to you the areas of your heart that need the refreshing wind of repentance and His presence. And after you’ve repented, commit the coming year to the Lord. Spend time setting goals for the new year with God, in accordance with His will. 

NOW is the time to say “forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal…” (Philippians 3:13-14). It’s a time to say, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8)

Song: Isaiah 6 (Here Am I Send Me) – Live by Lindy Cofer, Circuit Rider Music, Chloe Mack

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If you'd like to share your story of obedience and contribute to my new book, The Obedience Revolution, send me an email at deana@obediencerevolution.com.

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