For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Happy New Year! If you watch the ball drop in Times Square (That is the new midnight in our house), then you likely have also seen at least one “Year in Review” in recent days. After all, the practice of looking back at events of the previous year—or even the previous day—is as old as time itself. Perhaps it is because we are more optimistic than we think. Even after failing to keep last year’s resolutions, we dutifully make new ones with the same hope and enthusiasm. Or maybe, amidst the scurry of our frantic lives, we lift our heads just long enough to make sure there really is some purpose to what we are striving for and that we are not caught on some endless wheel leading nowhere. Each morning when we awaken, we have a choice. We can say, “Good morning, Lord!” or we can say, “Good Lord! Morning!” Same words with very different viewpoints. By the same token, the advent of each new year presents us with a choice. We can lament about the year past with its failures, shortcomings and disappointments; or we can look forward with anticipation of what God has in store for us in the year ahead.
In the final installment of the Back to the Future trilogy, Marty’s girlfriend, Jennifer, shows Doc Brown a piece of paper and says, “Doctor Brown, I brought this note back from the future, and now it’s erased.” To which Doc replies, “Of course it’s erased.” “But what does that mean?” Jennifer asks. “It means that your future hasn’t been written, yet. No one’s has. Your future is whatever you make it; so, make it a good one.”
In one sense, Doc Brown is right. Our future is whatever we make it. But despite the fact that humans from the beginning of time have always sought to determine what the future holds, none of us is certain about what will happen in our lives tomorrow, much less a year or a decade from now. But there is One who does know.
God told the young Jeremiah, I know the plans I have for you—plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. The good news is that God has plans for you and me, too. And those plans are also to prosper us and to give us hope. The only thing God will allow to get in the way of His wonderful plans for us is the very thing He gave us which makes us most like Him—free will. How often do we miss the blessings that our Heavenly Father desires for us simply because we seek our own way instead of His will for our lives?
One of my favorite verses in all of Scripture, one that I remember from my childhood, comes from Proverbs. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. [Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV] I don’t know about you, but I seem to have a great deal of difficulty with “leaning not on my own understanding” part. Knowing God’s will for our lives involves having a close, meaningful relationship with Him. And, as with any relationship, the best way to understand another is to spend time together. I have found that the more time I spend in Bible study and prayer, the more I seem to recognize God working in my life.
This new year can be a fresh beginning, or it can be nothing more than an overlapping and extension of the past, where the only thing that changes is the page on our calendar. Resolutions to lose weight, get in shape or stick to a budget are not bad, but what better way to start the year than to seek a deeper our relationship with the One who loves us and holds our future in His hands?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (Book of Common Prayer, p.100).
Blessings,
Steve+
