Last year brought death, loss of job, funerals, joyous news, weddings, new adventures, new jobs, new opportunities, new projects, and renewed relationships. I’m anxious to know what the new year holds.
As I begin the New Year, I am still reeling from all of the changes last year. I am still in the middle of packing and selling my house, then finding a new place to live. My husband is living an hour away trying to adjust to a new job and a new church family. Our daughter and son-in-law prepare for the first grandchild. My son and daughter prepare to live on their own. Work is busy. My life is busy. And I find no time to do what I feel is the most important thing for me to do: write.
Lord, help me as I find what the new year holds for me
It feels like everything is changing. Many things are good. Some things are not so good. But in all of it, there is one thing I must do: Trust in God. I can only do this one day at a time, one moment in time. Without God and his help, I would never survive.
Lord, help me remember to reach out to you every day and in each moment. Help me to always find the path you have set for me. Guide me to do what you know is the most important today. I just can’t see it anymore. There is too much to do. So I am trusting in you as I have for many years. Hold my hand and lead me. Show me the path I must walk.
Place your trust in the Eternal; rely on Him completely; never depend upon your own ideas and inventions. Give Him the credit for everything you accomplish, and He will smooth out and straighten the road that lies ahead.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
I trust in God. He will lead me.
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Eternal, “plans for peace, not evil, to give you a future and hope—never forget that. At that time, you will call out for Me, and I will hear. You will pray, and I will listen. You will look for Me intently, and you will find Me.
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.”
These are the five verses I always come back to from Proverbs 3, Matthew 11, Jeremiah 29, Philippians 4, and Deuteronomy 31. May they bring comfort to you this coming year.
