01/01/2019
What will this year bring you in regards to life, and your faith? Will you continue living here on earth as you know it now; filled with challenge, the saving grace of Jesus, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, or will you cross over Jordan to rest in God the Father? Will you suffer new hardships in this world, and obtain new heights of faith by the work of the Spirit in you, or will this year be free from turmoil, and your path made straight? Will you eat manna here in the desert, or the milk and honey of heaven beyond? Are you afraid of what lies ahead for you this year... well fear not!
“And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.”
Joshua 5:12 ESV
We are provided for here in this world, and in this our faithful life. Here we receive manna and drink by the hand of God, and through His grace that flows from Jesus Christ, but when we cross over to be with Him our meager rations will cease and the promise of milk, honey, and so much more will begin. So what do we fear? In our faith there should be no need to fear, and if we are frightened, and are fearful, then we are residing in a place where our faith has been weakened, lost, or abandoned. Take heart in what we are provided today, and in God’s glorious promise for tomorrow. This is yet another day and year of our Lord; be glad and rejoice in it!
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalms 118:24 ESV
Our faith secures us each and every day, and the Word of God gives us hope and promise for tomorrow. In this there is no room for fear. Whether we face trials, or death, the hand of the Lord is upon us, protecting us, providing for us, prospering us, and filling us with His peace, rest, and joy. In my devotional reading this morning, Charles Spurgeon made a similar statement when he wrote these words...
“In heaven the saints are secure, and so we on earth are preserved in Christ Jesus. There they triumph over their enemies, and we have victories too. Heavenly spirits enjoy communion with their Lord, and this is not denied to us - they rest in His love, and we have perfect peace in Him; they sing His praise, and it is our privilege to bless Him too.” - Charles Spurgeon
When we were children and our parents took us to school on that very first day, we were afraid. Many of us cried because we didn’t know what lay ahead, and we didn’t want to be separated from the love of our mothers and fathers, or our comfortable routine. We were truly afraid! Yet, as that first day began to unfold, we found that there were friends here, and that there was food to eat, playtime, and learning... it wasn’t as bad as our minds had contrived, and our fear had reinforced. This is the story of fear in our life, and in our faith. When trust in our circumstances, or God’s Word and promise, begins to wane, then fear takes hold.
Today we begin a new year; we make it a monument in our minds, but it is just one more day in the life of our faith... just like yesterday and the day before, but with one exception... we have hope and faith in what this day will bring. Our yesterdays are simply memories of how we lived, but today and every day ahead is filled with God’s hope, promise, and our faith in Him. If we face the coming year... 365 days... leaning on our faith and trust in God then there is no need to fear. If our days on the earth should happen to come to an end then we know that our trials and suffering here will be at end, and our rest and glory at the table of God will begin.
“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”
Hebrews 4:9-10 ESV
A new year... we view it as a metaphor for our lives. These 365 days pass one at a time from hope, to works, and then into memory, just as our lives do. We want to look forward to the coming days with anticipation of happiness and great things, but our fear tries to undermine our hope, and rob us of our trust in the joy we long for. So how will we live today, and the coming 364 days? Will we live them in doubt and fear, or will we place our trust in God and Jesus to smooth those rough ones, give us peace in the midst of the tumultuous days, and rest on the Sabbaths? Will we give into our fear, or find refuge in the Word and promise of God?
I pray for your faith today, and I ask that you pray for each of your days as they come... place your faith in God’s provision, forgiveness, and blessings for you, and let those memories of yesterday’s failures and sufferings be left with God who has forgiven, and separates them from you. Don’t let yesterday become fertile ground for your fear today.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for today and your presence in it with me. Thank you Holy Father for the sliding focus of life that allows yesterday to be separated from me, today to be forever new with you, and tomorrow to be filled with hopes, dreams, and visions of my increased faith. Lead me through life Lord, and help me in those times of disbelief so that no fear can overcome me, or destroy my faith and trust in you. Plant the seed of my faith in the Garden of my fear, so that it will crowd out this unwanted weed, and provide me with your manna in the deserts of my life, and honey and rest in heaven where I will join you. See me through the coming year Father, and give me the confidence, and courage, that I need to face it; knowing you are by my side, and that my love for you will sustain me, and be enough. You are my rock, my fortress, and my strong tower. In you I find courage to face each day, and faith to move mountains. Defeat my fear father, and replace it with an abundance of love and faith in you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God; in you is my trust, my faith, my peace, joy, rest, and eternal confidence. You are my shield against evil and temptation, and your Word is my armor against fear. Praised be your name always, that all glory will be yours this day, this year, and forevermore.
“But the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven, a land that the Lord your God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.”
Deuteronomy 11:11-12 ESV
Rich Forbes