John 1:16 says  “Of his fullness (in some versions, “abundance”) we have received, and Grace for Grace.” The Greek word “for“ is anti. We might say to someone, “I’ll give you a cash for (anti) it:“  the cash replaces the item you give me for it in exchange. Grace for Grace means that one Grace replaces the last one. God’s grace keeps coming out of His abundance.  Grace is like manna: we can’t hoard it, but we receive it fresh every day, out of God’s bounty.

Jeremiah knew this. Lamentations 3:  22 – 23 says “The steadfast Love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.”

God’s mercies are like an endless succession of train carriages, grace for grace coming out of His limitless abundance, the steadfast love of the Lord never ceasing.

Isaiah takes this to another level:

“Forget the former things;
Do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making away in the wilderness
And streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:18–19)

Here, the Holy Spirit calls us to see the “new thing” in the Spirit before it comes. At the same time He also tells us to let go of the former things. The last train carriage is on its way past – there is another one coming along. Yesterday’s manna is finished: God’s provision will be in, and for, the new thing that He is doing.

This operates at every level, from our personal lives – spiritual, work, family – to the Church, to the nations. Prophesies from the last century of a great harvest, notably from Smith Wigglesworth, Rick Joyner and Jean Darnall (among others),  perceived the new thing that God would be doing in world revival. Today, political and financial situations are in upheaval as the former things crumble away. And here’s the challenge for us, the people of God: we need to be asking the Lord to show us what we aren’t letting go of, and why, so that we can be ready to move into the new thing when it comes. This will require faith and endurance, but God’s abundance is limitless; His mercies never come to an end.

A final thought. Science tells us that the universe is constantly expanding. Why is this? It’s because God is constantly creating. His mercy are new every morning; grace for grace coming out of His abundance. May we embrace this in our lives.