Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Psalm 73:23-24 (ESV)
Lord, the threshold of a new year does something to all of us on the inside. For me, it is filled with reflections upon how I have fallen short, not gotten it done, or have come up lacking. I guess I’m sometimes a real “glass half empty” type of person!
This morning, I am grateful that You have reminded me through Asaph that it means so much more. A new year reminds me that despite what has transpired, no matter how “alone” I may have felt, You have been there the entire year. You have been my Guide, whether I have chosen to listen to You or not. You have provided for me what I have needed to get to this point. And whether I am marching proudly into the new year or just barely making it, I am doing so by Your power. Thank You.
What’s more, with the approaching new year comes the reminder that there is a promise that I am living towards, a day when truly all that I have gone through will be a distant past, and before me a future where I will have a true fresh start. Yes, we walk into new years making resolutions and putting behind us from the previous year. However the “new year” that I am thinking about is the “all things new” new year, where, as Job declares, “…the wicked will cease from troubling and the weary will be at rest (Job 3:17).” It is that place where my burdens are lifted, my tears wiped away, and I will be with You forever (Revelations 21:3-4). In that day 1 Peter 5:7 will have no relevance in my life because I will have no cares to cast upon You because You will have removed them all!
Help me today to walk by faith knowing this and believing it despite what I see going on around me. Continue to speak to my heart, calming my fears and instilling within me the glorious hope that I have in Christ, knowing that You will bring to pass all that You have promised. And as I look towards the new year help me to do so with holy anticipation, excited about the “all things new” that You will manifest in my life as I make my way towards the total fulfillment of Your promises in my life.
In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.