"Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God." (Psalm 31:5)
The New Year is Here. 2012. Many will have high hopes and great expectations for this year. No one really knows what will happen. It's only a feeling brought on by the newness of the number and all the festivities surrounding it.
But is there anything at all we can be sure of heading into this year? There is!
Here are three things that you can expect from the Lord in 2012. (There are more than three, but three is enough for now.)
First, you can expect Him to be faithful to keep all of His promises. This seems like such an obvious truth, but it is one we should consider for a moment. Think of this - once God declares He will do something, it is impossible that He could change His mind or not fulfill His word. His holy character depends on it. Either God is faithful to keep His word, or He is no longer holy.
But He does and will keep His word to you. "Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations," (Deuteronomy 7:9) Every single promise made to you who believe (and to you who don't believe for that matter) will be kept by God in 2012.
The second thing you can expect from the Lord is that He will be with you. Before departing to be with His Father, Jesus made this promise to His disciples: "...And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.€ (Matthew 28:20)
His very name, Emmanuel, is an open declaration that God is with His people. And the author of Hebrews declared, €I will never leave you nor forsake you.€ (Hebrews 13:5) This of course was a quote from a promise God made to Joshua back in the Old Testament, (Joshua 1:5) meaning God does not change. The same promise to Joshua thousands of years ago still holds true for you.
Our Lord will accompany us through every single trial and blessing in 2012. He will never leave our side, not even for a moment. You will never be alone this year.
Finally, the Lord is going to carry out His will in your life. He is doing this all the time in you. "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13) The things that happen to you and with you this year, will be according to God's decree and purpose for your life.
Not only that, but He is causing all the events in your life, pleasant and unpleasant, happy and sad to cooperate with one another for your 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." (Romans 8:28)
When something unexpected (or even undesired) happens, you can know for certain that it is exactly what God willed for you life. Why? Because He is always doing that in you. He always has been working out His will in you and He will continue to do so in 2012. And given that He declared that all of it is for your good, we can rest assured that the Lord will guide your life in the path He has chosen for you, a path that will be good for you in His perfect eyes.
2012 is upon us. Thankfully, the year may have changed, but God has not changed. We should take comfort in the fact that He will be faithful to us, will never leave us and will work out His will in us this year. Amen.
The New Year is Here. 2012. Many will have high hopes and great expectations for this year. No one really knows what will happen. It's only a feeling brought on by the newness of the number and all the festivities surrounding it.
But is there anything at all we can be sure of heading into this year? There is!
Here are three things that you can expect from the Lord in 2012. (There are more than three, but three is enough for now.)
First, you can expect Him to be faithful to keep all of His promises. This seems like such an obvious truth, but it is one we should consider for a moment. Think of this - once God declares He will do something, it is impossible that He could change His mind or not fulfill His word. His holy character depends on it. Either God is faithful to keep His word, or He is no longer holy.
But He does and will keep His word to you. "Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations," (Deuteronomy 7:9) Every single promise made to you who believe (and to you who don't believe for that matter) will be kept by God in 2012.
The second thing you can expect from the Lord is that He will be with you. Before departing to be with His Father, Jesus made this promise to His disciples: "...And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.€ (Matthew 28:20)
His very name, Emmanuel, is an open declaration that God is with His people. And the author of Hebrews declared, €I will never leave you nor forsake you.€ (Hebrews 13:5) This of course was a quote from a promise God made to Joshua back in the Old Testament, (Joshua 1:5) meaning God does not change. The same promise to Joshua thousands of years ago still holds true for you.
Our Lord will accompany us through every single trial and blessing in 2012. He will never leave our side, not even for a moment. You will never be alone this year.
Finally, the Lord is going to carry out His will in your life. He is doing this all the time in you. "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13) The things that happen to you and with you this year, will be according to God's decree and purpose for your life.
Not only that, but He is causing all the events in your life, pleasant and unpleasant, happy and sad to cooperate with one another for your 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." (Romans 8:28)
When something unexpected (or even undesired) happens, you can know for certain that it is exactly what God willed for you life. Why? Because He is always doing that in you. He always has been working out His will in you and He will continue to do so in 2012. And given that He declared that all of it is for your good, we can rest assured that the Lord will guide your life in the path He has chosen for you, a path that will be good for you in His perfect eyes.
2012 is upon us. Thankfully, the year may have changed, but God has not changed. We should take comfort in the fact that He will be faithful to us, will never leave us and will work out His will in us this year. Amen.
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