What should you do when you feel stuck in life?

By Pastor Kaloma Smith, Senior Pastor, UAMEZ Church · Last updated October 1, 2026

When you feel stuck, start by looking up from what is holding you and paying attention to what God is already doing. Isaiah 43:19 was spoken to people in exile who felt forgotten, and God told them he was doing a new thing, making a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The new thing usually starts small, and your part is to notice it and take part in it. I preached this message at UAMEZ Church in fall 2025, during a series on our core values. Watch the full sermon here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsUrTo8ohP8

Who was Isaiah 43:19 written to?

It was written to people whose lives had fallen apart. Jerusalem was in ruins, the temple was gone, and the people had been carried off to Babylon. Into that low moment God sent comfort through the prophet. Scholars often call Isaiah 40 to 55 Second Isaiah, and its theme is creative deliverance. The mood feels familiar here in Silicon Valley, where many people feel frustrated, pushed and isolated.

What does "behold" ask of us?

It asks us to look. The Hebrew word means pay attention and see what I am showing you. Most of us check email first thing in the morning and last thing at night, then Slack, then social media, and we look at God last. For the exiles, behold meant to stop staring at the chains and the walls of Babylon. For us it can mean putting the screen down long enough to see what God might do. Creativity begins with vision, the way a painter sees an image before touching the canvas and an engineer imagines the solution before writing code.

Is God still doing new things today?

Yes, God is still at work, and the verb is present tense. Many of us can name a time we got through something and still can't explain how. I believe that was the grace of God. I compared it to the system update on your phone. When you keep hitting remind me later, you miss improvements that are already available. "He's writing a new chapter while you're reading the old one." Some of us need to stop rehashing old pain so we can move forward. When God seems quiet, remember that "silence doesn't mean inactivity."

How do I notice what God is doing?

Slow down long enough to pay attention. The picture behind springs forth is a sprout breaking through the soil. You don't hear it happen. One day you see green where you thought there was only dust. A retreat I attended, with no phones and no talking, taught me to look for the fingerprints of God in my life. Journaling helps too. I'm not good at it, and I even use a recorder now, but writing things down clears the chaos in my head and lets me see where God has opened doors.

What if the new thing feels tiny?

Don't dismiss it. It might be a nudge to forgive or an idea that won't leave you alone. The redwoods near our church stood for centuries, and every one of them started as a small seed.

What does "a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert" mean?

It means God gives both guidance and provision. A way means God gives you a path when there is no map. A river means he provides, the way the Nile floods its banks and makes the land around it fertile. Your wilderness might be grief, burnout, trauma or frustration. God said he will, and that is covenant language, much stronger than wishful thinking. He made a way for Israel at the Red Sea, and in Jesus he made a way for all of us.

Am I creative if I'm not an artist?

You are, because you are made in the image of a creating God. Genesis 1:27 says God created human beings in his image, so if God creates, you were made to create. Creativity includes solving problems and finding new ways to love and forgive people. God's new thing in you does not depend on a Stanford degree or a job in tech. It depends on God, who made you.

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