Looking to God for Help in the New Year
We need Jesus, our Savior, who rules in our defense 24/7/365.
The new year is now underway, which brings excitement, hope and wonder in the eyes of many people.
However, despite each new year’s optimistic entrance, there is always a certain amount of apprehension, hesitation or even fear associated with the new year. Especially in our time when we see so much trouble in our broken world.
Our fears often hold us back, and keep us from the important things and people in our lives. Maybe we are nervous about what will happen in the months ahead. We may be afraid that the world is ending slowly around us.
Regardless of what fears we might face in our lives, we need to keep in mind our broken state and ultimate need: the need for Jesus. In the Bible, the prophets, apostles and Jesus give us encouraging words that help us to face the new year without being afraid.
Our world is sinful, and the Bible tells us the severity of the consequences of our rebellious actions against God. Paul proclaims that “the wages of sin is death” in Romans 6:23 (EHV). This is not good news for us, who sin so frequently that we cannot even estimate the number of times we have sinned. Even then, we often do not realize that we are sinning in our lives. Yet every corrupt thought, careless word and unloving action all pile up into a mountainous load of sin.
However, Paul completes Romans 6:23 with good news for all sinners when he goes on to say that “the undeserved gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” All of humanity is infected with the disease of sin, but Jesus Christ is the antidote, the cure. “God made him [Jesus], who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). God sent His Son, Jesus, to be our Savior, so that “whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). By faith in Jesus, our sins are washed away and through faith, God chooses us to be His children.
We must, however, not forget that as long as we live in this world, we will be sinners and will be surrounded by sinners. Even though we know that God’s promises never fade, we can sometimes doubt Him when we look at our broken, sinful selves and our broken, sinful world. With the new year ahead of us, we can be fearful if we feel that God has left us alone in this world. Or maybe we wonder if God has simply given up on us as the sins of the past year come back and haunt us. We can often feel that we are inevitably doomed in the future.
The adversary uses fear to make us feel that God is not out there or does not care. The devil would have us hiding in fear, away from God and His Word. Yet the allusion of inevitable doom crumbles at the sound of God’s Word, and Satan becomes the one who trembles in fear. The writer of the book of Lamentations proclaims, “By the mercies of the Lord we are not consumed, for his compassions do not fail. They are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness” (3:22-23). Even in our darkest hours, God is by our side, guiding us through this sinful world to Him. While we cannot be on our own, God commands and helps us to “be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified and do not be overwhelmed, because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
While what will happen in the new year ahead is unknown, God is by our side through it all. The same God who loved you so much that He sent His only-begotten Son to die for you, is the same God who is guiding every step you take into this new year. Through what Jesus did for us, each step into this year, is a step closer to eternity with Him. May God bless us throughout the new year. Amen.