Isaiah 41: New soil

Major Susan Woodgate encourages us that God’s promises are stronger than fear.

Key texts

• Isaiah 41:10–20

This year’s Covenant Sunday is all about breaking new ground. When I think about this, my mind goes to farmers up and down the country who in recent months have been breaking new ground to increase crop production. With a brother-in-law and a son who are both farmers, I have become more and more interested in the agricultural rhythms of the year and the ways farmers care for the land to ensure the greatest yield on their work.

I have learnt that it’s not only about sowing and reaping, but also about drilling and the way in which hardened barren land is cultivated and made ready. Not only is this true in fields but also in a spiritual sense.

There are moments when God calls us to break new ground – when the soil of our lives feels hard, barren, uncertain. In those times, fear can whisper louder than faith. However, God promises: ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand’ (v10). 

In our study passage, God reminds us that he is not a distant observer but a present helper who empowers his people. He brings hope where there once was despair.

Five promises emerge from verse 10. ‘I am with you’ – his presence is unbroken. ‘I am your God’ – his relationship is personal. ‘I will strengthen you’ – his power sustains. ‘I will … help you’ – he is our help. ‘I will uphold you with my righteous right hand’ – he is unshakeable.

God begins with a command and words of comfort. These words were offered to the people of Israel at a time when they were in exile in Babylon. It seems reasonable to think that they were feeling discouraged and possibly fearing they had been completely abandoned by God after the destruction of their cities and Temple. We might understand that God is reassuring his people and promising to strengthen, help and uphold them, despite their weakness.

In our world, every day, we hear news of wars or disasters. We might also experience personal challenges and wrestle with doubts and fears. At such times, when the ground beneath us seems to be shifting, God invites us to trust his word. He offers us an anchor. 

When we stand on new soil – in ministry, work, relationships or personal calling – we stand on promises that are stronger than fear. God’s hand never slips.

Pause and reflect

• In times of struggle, when life feels uncertain, when you are fearful, how might God’s promise to be with you reshape the way you react and respond?

In verse 14, God addresses Israel tenderly: ‘Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you.’ God acknowledges their frailty but does not leave them there. Instead, he declares transformation: ‘I will make you into a threshing-sledge, new and sharp… You will thresh the mountains and crush them’ (v15). 

It’s a stunning image – a ‘worm’ becoming a mighty instrument capable of levelling mountains. What God forms, he also empowers.

When you believe that God can do the impossible through you, he can empower you to break new ground. Throughout the Bible we see that God specialises in taking what seems weak or insignificant and turning it into something amazing. 

When we yield our fears and inadequacies to him, he reshapes us. Neither the fears we harbour nor the injustices we see or feel nor our failures are too big in comparison to his strength working in us. Our joy is found not in what we can do but in God’s faithfulness: ‘You will rejoice in the Lord and glory in the Holy One of Israel’ (v16).

Pause and reflect

• In what ways do you feel weak or unqualified right now?
• What might it look like to let God sharpen you for his purpose?

The final section of the passage paints a breathtaking picture of renewal: ‘The poor and needy search for water, but there is none… But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them’ (v17).

God moves from empowering his people to refreshing them. He makes ‘rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys’ (v18). We read that parched land becomes a place of abundance and life.

The passage mentions seven trees: cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, juniper, fir and cypress trees, each symbolising diversity, growth and fruitfulness. The desert becomes a garden, a sign that God’s Spirit is at work.

And why does God do this? ‘So that people may see and know … that the hand of the Lord has done this’ (v20). 

When we allow God to break new ground in our lives, might others notice? Our transformation becomes a living testimony – proof that God turns deserts into springs and despair into hope.

Pause and reflect

• Think of a desert area in your life, a place of dryness, disappointment or delay.
• Now imagine what it would look like for God to bring living water there.

As we walk forward into 2026, breaking new ground, we are encouraged to remember that the same God who strengthened Israel wants to strengthen each one of us too. God says: ‘Do not fear, for I myself will help you’ (v14). Let these words echo in your heart as you step into new ground. 

Where God calls, he also equips. Where he sends, he sustains, and where he works, hope always grows.

Pause and reflect

• Are you ready for the new ground that God wants to break in your personal life this year?
• Are you ready for the new ground that God wants to break in your community this year?