“Another New Year!”

Really? How can it be a new year. Doesn’t it have 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, and night follows day like all previous years? Yes! So, it’s not really a new year; some one might argue.  All that is absolutely true. The main difference is numerical. The previous year was 2023 and the new year is 2024. The fact remains, it is indeed a new year because we haven’t lived in it before.

“Another year has cast its shadow against the backdrop of eternity, and the firm had of God has written another chapter in man’s world. Like knots in a sailor’s rope, sand through an hourglass or fenceposts beside the highway, the coming of a new year is a marker in the pilgrimage of life. 

“Press forward with the Lord. Problems and pressures will do one of two things; they will drive you further from the Lord or gently push you towards Him. It all depends on where you put yourself in relationship to the problem. We don’t know what the year may bring. But when we hold the hand of Him who holds the world, there’s no need to worry” (Today Can Be Different, Harold J. Sala (January 3) Publisher: Regal Books Ventura, CA 93006).

The new year is futuristic since it is just starting. And no one — no matter how brilliant — can accurately predict what may or may not happen. This means the future belongs exclusively to God and not man. 

King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, said: “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring” (Proverbs 27:1). The brevity and uncertainty of life is mentioned in the Bible. “What is you life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:14,15).

Because of life’s uncertainty, we need to have faith in God and His Word, and trust Him to lead and guide us through each passing day. Only He knows when our earthly life will end. As Sovereign Creator of the universe, God is the very source of life itself.       

As Sovereign Creator, the Bible says: “Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it.” (Isaiah 42:5).

This means that God is in full control of the universe. Therefore, shouldn’t we have full confidence in Him to lead, guide, and sustain us in the future. We certainly have His guarantee: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5).

Some people insist on making “New Year resolutions” as they embark upon each new year. However, no one is compelled to make resolutions. The problem is that so many of these resolutions are broken long before the year ends. 

It would be far better to prayerfully commit to God any hopes and aspirations and seek His wisdom and guidance for the future. Remember, God is dependable. He keeps His word and fulfills His promises. “God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19). The Christian’s hope for the future is complete reliance on God.

We can be inspired by the apostle Paul’s declaration about his faith, hope and desire. He says:

“I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13,14). This indeed should be our hope as each year comes and goes, that is, the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

We must keep in mind all the way the Lord has graciously led and kept us during the past year. Isn’t He still the same Lord of whom King David said: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer” (Psalm 18:2). God is always near to deliver goodness and mercy. Have faith in the Almighty.