New Year’s Blessing
Another New Year is about to dawn upon us. Who knows what this new year will hold? We cannot possibly accurately depict what may come or go, the future is a mystery, each day will be unpredictable. And yet, we, as Christians, do not have to worry, we do not have to fret, we do not have to wring our hands in despair or walk with trepidation. We still serve God!
The same God we served throughout this past year is the same God we will serve in the new one. The same God who brought us each step of the way, leading faithfully and wonderfully, will be the same God who guides our steps throughout each day in the new year. He will still walk beside us, holding our hand, as it were, making His presence known throughout the coming journey. We can walk with confidence and boldness, though with humbleness and meekness, knowing that the Lord is still our Shepherd.
Though we know not the future, though we know not the pain or suffering we may have to go through, though we know not what problems we may have to face, the situations we may find ourselves in, we can know that God goes before us every mile of the way, stands behind us to protect us from the enemy of our souls, and still dwells in our hearts to keep us in perfect peace as we keep our minds stayed on Him. And we know that we will still be blessed with His presence, blessed with abundance of grace, blessed with His mercy and long suffering and blessed with so many good things along the way.
Throughout this new year we can determine that we are going to be on a mission to discover more about God and His faithfulness. We can decide that we are going to make it a habit to spend more time in His wonderful presence. We can make the conscious choice that we are not going to allow the devil to get the best of us, causing us to be defeated in our spirit, in our faith, or in our joy. We can set our hearts like a flint to keep our eyes lifted unto the hills from whence comes our help, knowing that our help comes from the Lord.
Then we can always remember that, as one said, “in every season, in every circumstance, He remains unchanging and utterly dependable.” So, our prayer for each and every one of us is the blessing Moses gave to the children Israel, found in Numbers 6:24 – 26, “The Lord bless you and keep you, The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you, The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”