Happy New Year! Did I hear someone say 'well it can't be any worse than 2020!'? It is hard not to be cynical and wonder what new plagues may be lurking on the other side of the summit, but cynicism never achieved much. In fact, I once heard someone say that 'cynics gnaw away at their own skeleton' - harming only themselves. No, I want to breathe the high mountain air and enjoy the view and walk on with hope and gratitude in my heart. I need not fear 2021 because God is already there, and he is still faithful. I want to share with you the words of the book of Lamentations in the Message version of the Bible, as I find them helpful this pandemic New Year:
I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
the taste of
ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
the feeling of
hitting the bottom.
But there’s one other thing I remember,
and remembering, I
keep a grip on hope:
God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
his merciful love
couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
How great your
faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He’s all I’ve got
left.
God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to
the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
quietly hope for
help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young
to stick it out
through the hard times.
When life is heavy and hard to take,
go off by
yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:
Wait for hope to
appear.
Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.
The “worst” is
never the worst.
Why? Because the Master won’t ever
walk out and fail
to return.
If he works severely, he also works tenderly.
His stockpiles of
loyal love are immense.*
* Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of the NavPress Publishing Group.
