Four Truths to Remember in 2024

I picked out my 2024 calendar a few weeks ago. It sits on my desk, ready for all the plans and expectations a new year brings. I have specific requirements for a calendar. I like it to have space for monthly, weekly, and daily plans. I like space for lists and reminders, monthly goals and daily tasks.

I guess it’s because I’m a planner. I love thinking about the future. I love setting goals and making plans. I make lists for each day and cross items off as I complete them. There’s some sort of satisfaction in seeing everything crossed off at the end of the day. And my new calendar gives me lots of space to do just that.

A new year, though filled with possibility and dreams yet to come true, can also be filled with uncertainty. In my own life, the past couple of years have brought great loss and upheaval, change and transition. It’s been a struggle to manage the roller coaster of emotions. To find myself in the midst of all the change. To keep my eyes fixed on Christ in the twists and turns of circumstances. Even now, I’m in a season of waiting, wondering what the Lord has next for our family and struggling to keep my hands open for whatever he provides.

I recently read the book, I Want to Escape, by Rush Witt. In it he recounts a story about Andrew Murray who provided counsel to a woman enduring difficult circumstances. At the time, he himself was in physical pain and could not meet the woman in person, so he asked someone else to pass on the message to her instead. He gave her several things to remember about God in times of trouble: 1) “He brought me here. It is by his will I’m in this strait place, in that I will rest.” 2) “He will keep me here in his love, and give me grace in this trial to behave as his child.” 3) “He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons he intends me to learn, and working in me the grace he means to bestow.” 4) “In his good time, he can bring me out again. How, and when, he knows.”

These are truths I’m speaking to my own heart as I embark on a new year. Whatever plans I scratch out in my calendar, whatever lists I make for myself, whatever I hope will happen in 2024, I know that God’s plans supersede my own. He’s already worked out all that this year entails. He’s planned and decreed it to the minutest detail. There are no mistakes to his plan, nothing that he’s overlooked. It will unfold in just the right time and just as I need it. There will certainly be changes to my life in 2024. There will likely be unexpected challenges. There will be lessons to learn and opportunities to rest in his grace. In it all, I know he keeps me in his loving care.

None of us know what 2024 will look like. Yes, we make our plans, but God determines our steps (Prov. 16:9). He is a good and perfect Father. We can trust this new year to him. As Tim Keller once said, “If we knew what God knows, we would ask for exactly what he gives.”

Father in heaven, we enter this new year with open hands, expecting great things from you for you know exactly what we need. Keep us in your loving care and help us to wait and watch with wonder at what you will do in and through us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Photo by Eric Rothermel on Unsplash

When You Need Hope for the New Year

As 2020 came to a close, I don’t know about you, but I breathed a sigh of relief. I was all too ready to close that difficult chapter on a very hard year. To put the chaos and heartache of the year behind me. To move on to something new and better.

Flipping the calendar page to a fresh new year always gives me a sense of anticipation. Expectation. Hope. Promise. Do you ever feel that way? Do you ever think: Maybe this year will be the year I finally_____. Change jobs? Move? Get married? Have a baby? Grow the ministry? See that goal I’ve worked so hard for finally come to fruition?

And above all, move on from a pandemic?

For some of us though, a new year may not announce a new opportunity or bring hope for change or provide anticipation that a dream will come true. Rather, it rings in with dread, fear, or disappointment. For some, an unwanted medical procedure looms on the horizon. For others, a new year brings a job loss or worse, another year of unemployment. Some flip the calendar page knowing that the relationship conflict they've been in all last year will only continue on into the next or that the grief they carried in 2020 will only follow them into 2021. 

Not everyone will see this new year as the promise of something new and better, but more of the same, and perhaps, the announcement of something worse. 

If you are looking at the year ahead and feel a sense of dread, I want to encourage you. If you fear that 2021 will simply be a repeat of 2020, I want to point you to hope. 2021, though filled with unknowns, is not unknown. Though it may contain heartache, challenge, and difficulty, is not a year to fear. That's because God knows what lies ahead for you. He knows each day and every moment to come. As David wrote, "all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16). All the days of this year have been written in God's book and he writes a good story. He carefully constructed the moments of 2021 in exactly the right order as they should be. He wove the threads of time to bring about what you need most this year.

For those who trust in Christ for their salvation, God has promised to work all things—the good, the not-so-good, and the bad—together for ultimate good. "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified" (Romans 8:28-30).

While we tend to start a new year with grand plans and a few weeks later, give up and move on, God finishes what he starts. Those whom he chose before all time, he also called to himself. Those whom he called to be his own, he also saved by grace, through the blood of Christ. Those whom he saved, he also transforms and makes holy. From before the beginning of time, to this moment now, God is unfolding and following through on his plan to redeem and transform both you and I into the likeness of Jesus.  

As you stand on the precipice of 2021, don't fear the future for it is in the hands of your sovereign God. Don't dread the unknown for it is fully known by your omniscient Father. Don't grow weary by the challenges to come, for God is with you. He is actively involved in every moment you face this year and is your help in all trouble (Psalm 46:1). He is your refuge and your strength. He will never leave you.

Whatever challenges or trials come your way this year, remember God is and what he has done. Remember that he is good and righteous and sovereign. Remember that he loved you before time began and chose you to be his beloved. Remember that he sacrificed his Son to redeem you and make you his own. Remember that he gave you his Spirit to work in you, in both the good and the bad, to change and re-shape you. And remember, unlike New Year's resolutions, God always finishes what he starts (Philippians 1:6).  

Instead of the New Year being a harbinger of bad things to come, may it instead be a reminder of the One who is even now making all things new—including each of us. May Christ be our source of hope in 2021.

3 Reasons to Read Through Your Bible This Year

With the start of a new year, we often make plans and set goals for what we hope to accomplish over the next twelve months. After all the holiday parties, certainly getting back on track with our diet is top of the list. Maybe next is trying out that new gym around the corner. Perhaps we also want to try a new hobby, read more books, or take a class.

For Christians, we often add to that list of goals something related to reading our Bibles. We know how essential Bible reading is to our faith and we want to be more consistent. Perhaps we received a new devotional or book or bible study for Christmas which we hope will aid us in reaching that goal.

Consistency is hard for all of us. We are fallen people and our hearts are easily distracted and pulled away by lesser things. We should all have a goal to read God’s word each day. It ought to be our goal for every year.

In fact, Bible reading was a goal of mine about a dozen years ago now. While I had read and studied my entire Bible in college (mostly for various classes), I hadn’t read through it since then. I decided that new year I would start in Genesis and read a couple of chapters each day and work my way through the Bible, one book at a time. When December rolled around again, I still had two more books left to read, so I kept on reading until I finished. It took more than a year, but I loved the experience and have been reading through my Bible each year ever since. (Though I now use the M’Cheyne reading schedule.)

Why read through the Bible?

1. You read books of the Bible you might not ordinarily read: Every word in Scripture is inspired and breathed out by God. Every word is useful for “teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). But we tend to stick with certain books of the Bible. When was the last time you read Leviticus or Obadiah? Whether it’s because they are familiar or easy to understand or for some other preference, we tend to return to the books of the Bible we know, like the gospels or the Psalms. When we do so, we miss out on important teaching from other books. For example, when we skip a book like Leviticus, we miss out on the ways it opens our eyes to see our great need for Jesus.

2. You see how all the books fit together: While there are many different writers of the books in the Bible, there is one author behind them all: God. “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20). As you read through the Bible year after year, you begin to see common threads and themes. You’ll see stories and patterns repeated. From one page to the next, you’ll see just how sinful and broken and desperate we really are. You’ll see God intercede in story after story with his amazing grace. Time and time again, you’ll witness his faithfulness to the faithless. And you’ll marvel at how God pushed forward his plan of redemption, despite the actions of evil kings, wayward idolaters, and dark spiritual forces.

3. You’ll grow to love all of God’s word: We all have favorite verses and passages in Scripture. Those go-to pages that are worn and dog-eared more than others. Those treasures we hide in our heart and repeat to ourselves to bring light to the dark corners of our lives. The more that you read through the Bible, the more you’ll come to love the entirety of it. God’s word will become so familiar to you, you’ll find your own words infused with it. Your thoughts will be shaped by it. And as the Spirit works through those words, your very self will be transformed into the image of the Word, Jesus Christ.

This new year, consider reading through the whole Bible. It’s one goal you’ll want to set on repeat.

A Prayer for the New Year

I love new things. Who doesn’t? A new book, a new job, a new experience. Even the smell of a new car. I love new possibilities and new opportunities. I love considering all that the “new” holds.

But to be honest, I often have mixed feelings about new things. What if that new book isn’t that great and I regret buying it? What if the new job is worse than the last? What if the new experience falls flat?

And what if the new year I’ve looked forward to is harder than the previous year?

When I consider this new year—365 empty days waiting and ready to be filled with growth, opportunity, and adventure—I feel a mixture of excitement and anticipation, as well as some worry and apprehension. I look forward to what God will do in my life, the things I will learn, the ways he will stretch me and use me. I look forward to opportunities to be with family and friends and perhaps even make new friends. At the same time, I wonder about the hardships ahead. There are difficulties I face now that will likely intensify next year. There may even be unexpected difficulties ahead as well.

While I don’t know what 2019 holds, I do know the One who holds it.

A Prayer for the New Year

Father in Heaven,

I come before you today feeling a mixture of anticipation and worry. It’s exciting to turn the calendar page to a fresh new year. It’s exciting to consider all that the year holds. I look forward to new opportunities and growth. But at the same time, I wonder what heartaches and challenges lie ahead. And those heartaches I’ve faced this year, I wonder if they’ll continue into the next. I worry I won’t have the strength to endure unexpected change or trials. I guess I’m really not unlike the Israelite’s when they faced an uncertain future away from slavery and thought returning back to Egypt was a safer bet.

Forgive me for my worries and fears about this new year. Forgive me for doubting your goodness and faithfulness. Forgive me for forgetting your constant grace to me and fearing it won’t be there when I need it in the future. Forgive me for forgetting who you are.

While this new year may be filled with transition and change, you are the same yesterday, today, and forever. You never change and your promises remain true through every age.

While I don’t know what this new year holds, you are the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. You know the end from the beginning and every moment of this year to come. You know what 2019 holds and just what I need to journey through it.

While I may worry about unknown challenges, and fear I am not ready to face them, you are a good and faithful Father. You only do what is good. Whatever the year holds, it comes from your goodness and will be for my ultimate good.

While circumstances in my life may feel out of control this year, you reign supreme on your throne. You rule over all things. Nothing can happen outside your will and plan. You will never be surprised by anything that happens in 2019.

Help me to rest in who you are this year. Help me to dwell on your goodness and faithfulness. Help me to rely on your sovereign power, knowledge, and rule. Help me to remember that you’ve gone to great lengths to meet my deepest need by sending your Son as a sacrifice for me—how could I think you wouldn’t meet any of my lesser needs? Help me to look at 2019 with hope and trust, knowing that whatever it holds, it is a gift from your good hands.

This new year may be filled with new adventure, change, and opportunity. It may also have some challenges and trials. But every new year is a reminder that you are making all things new. This new year will push forward your Kingdom here on earth and your ultimate return. That is something “new” I long for with great hope and expectation.

I pray all this in Jesus’ name, amen.

What the New Year Brings

The new year comes bearing gifts.

For some, it is the gift of relief—relief that the last year is over. For others, a new year brings hope—hope for the future and for a better year than the last. A new year can also bring anticipation for what's ahead. Perhaps there's a new adventure to look forward to. Or maybe we have goals for this year and look ahead to their completion. 

Often, when we consider our expectations for the new year, we tend to plan for and look forward to good things. We anticipate fun activities, new experiences, and increased blessings. We set goals and make plans to attain the things and experiences we've long desired. We resolve to make things better and improve ourselves and our lives.

Sometimes though, like the ugly sweater or new appliance we never wanted, the new year brings gifts that aren't desired. Fear. Uncertainty. Dread. Just the thought of the unknown future can bring worry or paralyzing fear. If that last year was especially hard, we may dread the thought of another difficult year. Or maybe we do know what to expect in 2018. Maybe we have a dreaded medical test or procedure scheduled. Or we are certain a relationship we've tried so hard to keep together will finally fall apart. Or that bill will finally come due and we know we have no way to pay it. 

When I consider my own thoughts about this new year, part of me accepts the gift of sweet anticipation and looks forward to the experiences that lie ahead. Yet another part of me trembles a bit with fear at the unknown. The truth is, I know that life is filled with hardship and challenges. I don't expect 2018 to be easy and carefree. And maybe that's why there's fear, because I know some challenge, obstacle, or hardship likely lie ahead.  

But what if this year you and I embrace all that the new year brings? What if we looked forward to everything God wants to do in and through us in 2018?

Even if it's hard?

And even if the story He's written for us this year involves more challenges, obstacles, and trials?

James tells us to "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." (1:2) As we look ahead into 2018, anticipating what God has planned for us, we need to face that future with joy. Not because trials are fun. Not because we want additional heartache in our life. Rather, we rejoice in what those trials produce in us, "the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:3,4). 

We find joy in knowing what trials produce in us. God uses challenges and hardships to make us more and more like Christ. And what did our Savior's life look like? One of suffering. Paul wrote, "I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 4:10-11, NIV). Paul was willing to do whatever it took, even enduring trials, to become like Christ. May that be our goal as well for this year, to pursue Christ and become like him, no matter what it takes.

We face the new year with joy also because we know who rules and reigns over our trials. We can trust that each and every obstacle, whatever trial we endure, and any heartache we face, are all given to us by God for our good. He doesn't use challenges or trials in a willy-nilly way, with no purpose or meaning. He doesn't even do so out of anger and punishment. Rather, he uses trials for our discipline and training. They are used to strip away the remaining sin in us and shape us into the image of Christ. Such trials show us our need for God and his grace. They teach us humility and dependence. They are opportunities for us to grow in faith. They also show to a watching world the power of God in weakness, bringing him honor and glory. 

Challenges and trials come to us from a good and righteous Father who only does what is good and right. We can trust his purposes and plans for us because he is holy and just. He knows exactly what we need to teach and train us in the way of righteousness. He knows just what we need to be made holy.

After all, we are his children, adopted through the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. We are his beloved—loved by God as much as he loves the Son. He is gracious to us and no matter what the future holds, we are not left alone in it. He is with us, giving us peace in anxiety, strength in the face of suffering, and grace to endure. He also gives us brothers and sisters to walk with us: encouraging us when we stumble, helping us when we fall, and remaining with us to the finish line.  

As we open this gift of a new year, may we accept it with hope and joy, rather than fear and despair. Because we know the sender of all gifts. And since he gave us the greatest gift of all—life through his Son—how can we not trust him with the gift of a new year? 

How about you? What are your thoughts about the new year? 

Ten Prayers for the New Year

As I prepare to turn the page and begin a new chapter in my life, I wonder, what will this new year hold? What new joys await me this next year? What challenges? What trials and heartaches? What new lessons? What dreams will come true and what new ones will be birthed?

Perhaps your own heart is filled with similar thoughts and questions. Do you look ahead with anticipation? Or is it more like dread? Does the unknown future paralyze you with fear? Or are you expectant of the good things God will do? Instead of looking forward to the next year, would you rather turn around and go back the way you came? Or maybe you are feeling some of both?

The great news is that God is the author of 2018. He knows each and every twist and turn that lay ahead both for you and for me. He has planned 2018 down to the minutest detail, all with the goal of his glory and our good. So when it comes to facing the new and unexpected, when the future seems frightening and uncertain, and when we come to a new and unfamiliar junction in the road of life, the best and greatest thing we can do is pray. Through Christ, we can come to the throne of grace with confidence, casting our cares and anxieties upon the Lord, and know that we will find grace and help in our time of need. God hears our prayers, he uses our prayers, and he desires that we come before him in prayer.

While the list of things we could pray for this year is endless, I've created a list to get us started. Will you join me in praying these things for ourselves and others?

1. That we would know the love of Christ: This is one of Paul's prayers for the Ephesians. It is a prayer that opens our eyes to seeing Christ's love in new and fresh ways. "That you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (3:17-19). We will spend an eternity plumbing the depths of Christ's love for us, but don't you want to get started now?

2. That we would love God's word: It was God's word that started this blue marble that we call Earth spinning and twirling in the dark void. It is his word that brings life and sustains life. It is his word that accomplished our redemption when Christ cried out at the cross, "It is finished!" And it is his written word which shows us the path of life. Scripture tells us all we need to know about who God is and what he has done for us in Christ. It also his word that changes us and sanctifies us. "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). Let us pray this year for hearts that love God's word.

3. That we would desire Christ above all else: We cannot love God on our own. Left to our own devices, we would only love ourselves. Only God can bring our dead hearts to life, giving us hearts that love him and desire to obey him. "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:36). Let us pray this year for hearts that love Christ above all else. Let us pray for hearts that are dissatisfied with the fast food offerings of this world and that we would develop the taste for the rich and deeply satisfying love of Christ.

4. That God would show us the idols of our heart: All the things we bow down to in our heart, the things that we love more than Christ are idols. Success, affection, affirmation, money, possessions, family, jobs—these are all idols of the heart. Pray that God would reveal to you what idols stand tall on the altar of your heart. Pray that he would help you to remove them and put greater love for Christ in their place.

5. That we would be quick to repent: Martin Luther described the Christian life as one of repentance. As long as we live in this sin-stained world, we will continue to sin. Let us pray for hearts that are quick to repent. May we readily turn to the cross and apply what Christ has done for us, washing ourselves anew in his forgiving grace.

6. That we would think less about ourselves: Tim Keller describes humility as "the essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less." This year, let us pray that we would spend less time consumed with ourselves and more time thinking about loving God and loving others.

7. That we would have gospel joy: Gospel joy is the joy that anchors us in the midst of the ferocious storms of life. It is the constant steady horizon in the swells of life. It stays with us no matter our circumstances. This is something I pray for quite often because I tend to notice the storm clouds and forget the sun shining above them. Gospel joy comes from knowing what Christ has done for us, what he accomplished for us, who we are because of him, and the eternal hope we have through him.

8. That we would love like Christ: Just as we can't love God on our own, we can't love others on our own either. We need to pray that we would have a love like Christ, the kind of love that seeks the best in others, that takes the last place, that serves and sacrifices. The Apostle John said that we love because God first loved us. This year, may we focus on the love Christ has for us and may it propel us to love others as he loves.

9. That we would number our days: In Psalm 39, David prayed, "O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!" (vs.4). Let this be our prayer as well. May we realize how fleeting our life is and how important it is that we not waste our brief time. May we use every moment for God's great glory and praise.

10. That God's will would be done: In the fictional Mitford book series, Father Tim would tell others that he was "praying the prayer that never fails." Praying that God's will would be done is the prayer that never fails. May we submit all our prayers and desires to God's will, trusting that his will is perfect, holy, righteous, and good.

That's my prayer list to start off this year. What's on your prayer list?