Green is the colour of hope! This passage speaks of hope. As we welcome in a New Year many of us are looking for hope. Many have experienced grief, often during the closing weeks of the year that is closing. These and many other people are entering a wilderness that has to be undoubtedly navigated.
As I thought about wildernesses, I found myself realising that there are at least two types that I know of. One is dry, barren and looks as if it goes on forever. Even in this type of wilderness we need a path to follow or else we will find ourselves going around and around in circles and getting nowhere. The other wilderness is overgrown with undergrowth that has to be hacked down in order to make progress with many hidden dangers lurking just out of sight.
We are reminded in verse 16 to forget what is old and behind us. So as we move into the new year let us look forward in hope as God makes a path for us to move forward.