I love new beginnings in sunrises, the new year, and even in moving sometimes. New beginnings bring the hope of possibilities, the anticipation of what God can do. Standing at the threshold of those beginnings, we have no idea where He will take us or what challenges may come, the blessings and love that will come in so many ways. Only He knows.
As we step into this new year, I give you the same challenge that God has given me. With so many unknowns ahead, we are challenged to believe in the impossible, things we could never even dream, because we serve a God who can. We read about it in Ephesians 3:20-21, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Only God. We simply have to trust Him. In the next year, we will experience heartache, fear, anxiety, hope, joy, peace, grace – the list goes on and on. He knows what the year will bring. Here in the beginning, we can be apprehensive of what lies ahead. If we let it, the anxiety will cause us to stand still instead of continuing to follow Him . . . wherever He leads. We do not successfully accomplish this life on our own. As we read in Ephesians, it is all according to His power that is at work within us. He is with us and working through us, if we allow Him to do so. Here is where our choice lies.
Surely challenges will come in this next year, but they have a purpose. Our life on earth has one purpose – to bring honor and glory to the God who made us. Regardless of what this year brings, our prayer should be that He is glorified. He can be. As we encounter the year, we simply keep seeking and following Him, doing what He has called us to do. We have to continue to believe in the impossible. Our God is a supernatural God with power and might beyond all of our understanding, but He is also a God of love and grace. He can do the impossible – bringing triumph out of defeat, hope out of fear, joy out of sorrow, strength out of weakness. All things that make no sense on our planet, but nothing is impossible with God.
As we look to the new year, I pray we believe in the impossible – and that our lives are testimony to our faith. I pray we step out into the unknown longing more to serve and follow Him than we do to shrink back in fear. I pray that we see God tangibly at work around us, but continue to follow faithfully even if we don’t. May this year of our lives bring honor and glory to the God who loves us.
What is your prayer for this new year?
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