God has begun something new in Norway.

As you follow the Jacob's River to Grense Jakobselv from Kirkenes — the far northeastern part of Norway — you will reach the shore of the Barents Sea. There, as you watch over the border to Russia, you would spot a cross standing on a sandy land. I was drawn by the cross and as I came close to the cross, I saw the text: “The cross was drawn over the nation proclaiming: Norway belongs to Christ.”

Undoubtedly, Norway is a Christian nation and the statistics also still say so — for more than a half of its population are claimed to be Christians.

Norway sent more missionaries per capita than any other country in many times in history. We also see the legacy of Hans Niels Hauge in Norwegian society. The spirit of pioneering and mission is still alive today.

Regretfully, today in Norway, being a Christian may often be just a cultural identity — faith has nothing to do with our life or our work. Yet, we are called to be the salt and light of the world.

And God is at work. He is doing something new in Norway.

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? — Isaiah 43:19

More than ever, I am convinced that God is doing something new in this nation. Yes, a new season is coming. He has already begun the work.

First things first — we must know who our God is.

For us to witness the work of God, we need to know who our God is. In Isaiah 43:15, He Himself says who He is — I am the Lord, your Holy One, Creator and King.

So who is this God?

Firstly — God is holy. What is being holy? It means being separated. Being pure and clean — sinless. So without dealing with our sins, we cannot dwell in Him. God is holy.

As the father waits for the prodigal son, God waits for us¹. But unless the son repents his sin and chooses to come to the father, the father could not welcome him, throw a party and give all the things he valued. The father is standing there — waiting. The father is doing his best to welcome his son. For us to dwell in God’s presence, we have one single job to do — acknowledging our sins, dealing with them and going back to Him — to the Holy One.

Secondly — God is the creator of the universe². He is beginning and the end — Alpha and Omega³.

He also created us in His own image⁴. Therefore, He knows us⁵. He knows me more than anyone else, and even more than I do. That is why we can find our identity in God, not anywhere else. Although, our society and trends try to name us, frame us and whisper lies regarding our identity, we belong to Jesus. We can only find our true identity through Him and through knowing Him. And remember, that we are beloved sons and daughters to Him.

Lastly — God is our King. Indeed, He is only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He has the full power and authority to rule over all things and us.

However, in Isaiah 43:22, we see that Israelites refused to ask the help of God. They did not acknowledge God as the king. They were not holy — for they have sinned. They worshipped God, yet their heart was not in the right place. God was not in the centre of their life. He was not the first — maybe second or third… 

So God says “you have burdened me with your sins.” God’s people should not live like that. They should not be living in the ways of the world, but in the ways of God. Consequently, they were not faithful to God and were exiled to Babylon.

Even so, God did not give up on them.

Again, God promises victory.

We’re part of God’s marvellous story.

In Isaiah 43:16-17, God reminds Israelites of what He has done before — He saved them from slavery. He opened a way through the waters and He protected them from the powerful army. God fed them and led them to the promised land. God reminded them of the legendary stories of miracles.

And this is what God is telling us today — reminding us who He is. He is God of miracles! He did countless great things throughout history and also in our life.

Then, in Isaiah 43:18, God says: “But forget all that — it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.”

He is not a god who did miracles only a few thousand years ago. But He is the almighty God who is still alive today, doing miracles, calling people and working in the midst of us. So He does not want us to just hear the stories after stories. He wants us to be a part of His miraculous and marvellous stories. He does not want us to just taste God’s love, but He wants us to live in the love of God.

On top of that, God is saying that we should not think about what has happened before. He actually says “forget all that”, because even better things are coming — something that we cannot even compare with. This is speechless!

It reminds me of a moment when Steve Jobs said at the end of his keynote presentations: “there is one more thing…” Obviously, this is better than the moment with Steve Jobs.

We know that there have been revivals and reformations many, many years ago. We hear those stories and testimonies. However, these exciting things can happen, and will happen in our lifetime. God is saying that we will be the witness of His miracle — something new.

Finally, we come to Isaiah 43:19 — For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness, I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

He is not just planning to do something new. He has already begun! What He says here is: “look, just see it!” He is already moving among us. He is working in the midst of us. God is bringing people around us. He is opening new doors for us.

He says in Isaiah 43:20 — Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed.

We may feel like we are living in a dry wasteland right now — in the wilderness. We may see challenges and crises. But they are nothing compared to what our God can do. He is bigger than our problem. He is bigger than our plan. He is bigger than our money or whatever it is.

So the question is: Do we really know this God?

God is great. He does miracles. Nothing is impossible for Him. He is the creator of the universe and King of kings. And He is holy. He is God.

And He is making rivers in that dry wasteland and He is making pathways through the desert.

Amen.

What is God doing in Norway?

What is God doing in Norway? — I pray that God will open our eyes so that we may see what God is doing in Norway¹. I believe that God is doing something extraordinary in Norway.

We are living with a generation who are seeking for something authentic, seeking for the meaning of lives. And they are literally changing society and its culture and tradition. However, I do believe that it was the work of multiple generations in Norway.

Firstly, we see the generations — Millennials and Gen Z — seeking for the truth. They are hungry and thirsty for God and His word. We have seen the focus on the Word of God has really impacted the generation and brought fire back to churches. In Oslo, several hundreds of young people are being part of weekly bible study (Bibelkveld) held by YWAM Oslo. And this model has been spread to other university cities in Norway. In the Østfold region, youth are on fire for Jesus, filling up the churches, going out of the street to share Good News. They claim that the fire started when they read and studied the Word of God together. Today, they are asking themselves a question: What would Jesus do? — WWJD.

Secondly, we see people seeking relationships. We see the amount of unity and level of collaboration and relationship. This unity was not achieved in one day. It happened through the committed work of previous generations — Silent Generation, Baby Boomers and Gen X. There were nearly 10,000 young people gathered in Telenor Arena in the summer of 2022, praising God together and saying “all in” to Jesus. It was a collaboration between 29 Christian organisations and denominations in Norway. Furthermore, churches and Christian leaders in the Oslo area are united more than ever — committed to bring God’s kingdom together.

Originally written: 21 October 2022

¹ Luke 15:11-32

² Genesis 1

³ Revelation 22:13

⁴ Genesis 1:27

⁵ Psalms 139