Understanding Transition, Disruption, and the Things We Hold Onto

Behold, I Do a New Thing | Lesson 2

When the Familiar Becomes Our Standard

There is something comforting about the familiar. We develop routines, establish relationships, and build our understanding of the world through experience. Over time, these experiences shape not only what we do but also what we believe.

Many of these things have served us well. They have provided stability, encouragement, and direction. Yet something once useful may not always remain appropriate for every circumstance.

Consider how technology has changed the work of disc jockeys. For decades, DJs relied on vinyl records, developing considerable skill in selecting, handling, and mixing music. Compact discs and digital technology eventually introduced different possibilities.

The emergence of new equipment did not invalidate the knowledge developed through earlier methods. The essential purpose remained, even as the tools changed.

Could something similar happen in our spiritual lives?

We may become so attached to a familiar practice, tradition, or understanding that we begin confusing the method with the purpose it was intended to serve.

This raises an important question: Are we holding onto something because it remains faithful to God’s purposes, or simply because it is familiar?

What Are We Really Protecting?

Our beliefs rarely exist independently of our relationships and personal identities.

A particular church may remind us of where we first encountered Christ. A teaching may have sustained us during a difficult season. A familiar practice may connect us to people we deeply respect.

Consequently, questioning an established belief can feel like questioning the people who taught it to us.

Sometimes we protect more than an idea. We protect our reputation, relationships, sense of belonging, and even our understanding of ourselves.

Scripture reminds us:

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” — 2 Timothy 2:15, KJV

Respecting spiritual teachers and examining their teachings are not opposing responsibilities. We can value the contributions of others while remaining accountable for what we believe.

The challenge is recognizing when our desire for acceptance begins influencing our willingness to examine the truth.

The Bridegroom, the Garment, and the Wineskins

In Mark 2:18–22, Jesus responds to a question concerning fasting.

The disciples of John and the Pharisees practiced fasting, yet Jesus’ disciples were not fasting in the same manner. Those questioning Him wanted an explanation.

Jesus responded with three illustrations: a bridegroom, a garment, and wineskins.

First, He asked:

“Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?” — Mark 2:19, KJV

A wedding is ordinarily a time of celebration. The presence of the bridegroom changes what response is appropriate.

Jesus continued by explaining that a time would come when the bridegroom would be taken away, and His disciples would fast.

Notice that Jesus did not condemn fasting. Rather, He explained how His presence changed the circumstances surrounding the practice.

He then described the consequences of sewing new cloth onto an old garment and pouring new wine into old wineskins.

An unsuitable patch could worsen an existing tear. An old wineskin unable to accommodate new wine could rupture, destroying both the container and its contents.

These illustrations are related, but each contributes something distinct.

Together, they invite us to examine whether familiar practices remain suitable for their intended purposes.

However, Jesus was not declaring that everything old is wrong or everything new is automatically better. His immediate teaching concerned the significance of His own presence and ministry.

That distinction matters whenever we apply these passages to contemporary circumstances.

When Something Good Takes the Wrong Place

Consider another biblical account.

In Numbers 21:4–9, God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent during Israel’s wilderness journey. Those who had been bitten could look toward it and live.

The object originally served a purpose within God’s provision.

Yet generations later, the Israelites were burning incense to that same object. According to 2 Kings 18:4, King Hezekiah destroyed it.

What had changed?

Not the object’s history, but the significance people had attached to it.

Something originally associated with divine provision had become an object of misplaced devotion.

This account challenges us to consider whether an established tradition, honored institution, or meaningful experience has acquired an authority it was never intended to possess.

The question is not whether something was once valuable. It is whether we understand its proper place today.

What Remains When Everything Changes?

Hebrews 12:25–29 introduces another consideration: the distinction between what can be shaken and what remains.

“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” — Hebrews 12:28, KJV

Human institutions, customs, relationships, and circumstances can change. God’s kingdom possesses a permanence they cannot guarantee.

This does not mean every disruption is divine judgment or that every painful transition signals God’s approval of something new.

It means our confidence must rest upon something more enduring than the structures we have become accustomed to trusting.

Isaiah 43:19 records God’s declaration concerning His new work for Israel:

“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?” — Isaiah 43:19, KJV

God’s earlier deliverance was genuine and worthy of remembrance. Yet His future provision was not limited to repeating its familiar form.

Moving Forward With Faith and Discernment

Reconsidering an established belief can be uncomfortable. It may involve uncertainty, correction, disagreement, or even grief.

But growth does not require us to reject everything we have learned. Neither does faithfulness require us to defend every conclusion we have previously reached.

We can examine Scripture carefully, acknowledge what remains valuable, correct what we have misunderstood, and respond with wisdom.

Sometimes the faithful response is preservation. Sometimes it is change. Sometimes it is further investigation before reaching a conclusion.

Throughout that process, Jesus Christ remains our foundation.

The question is not whether we prefer the old or the new. It is whether we are willing to recognize and respond faithfully to what God requires.

And when our understanding is challenged, will we have the humility to examine it?

Continue Your Study

This article introduces themes explored more extensively in Lesson 2: When the Old Must Give Way to the New.

The companion study guide includes deeper biblical examination, additional Scripture references, practical reflection exercises, and space for personal responses.

Read the complete Lesson 2 Study Guide — Available free to registered Merkabah Ministries members.

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