A new year changes nothing about the God who always was and will be
By Dean Collins
Every year in anticipation of December 31 moving to January 1, some people go great distances to be somewhere where event planners drop something during the countdown of the last seconds in the old year.
Most of us have likely seen the ball drop at Times Square on television. Some in the South have watched the peach drop in Atlanta. But if you are willing to travel to some smaller towns next year, you can watch cities dropping all kinds of things. It has become a huge tradition to close one year and begin another by dropping something from 20 feet high or higher. Some examples:
Indianapolis has a car drop
Eastport, Maine drops a Sardine
Easton, Maryland drops a giant red crab
Perry, Georgia has a buzzard drop
Mt. Olive, North Carolina drops a pickle
Henry Cloud wrote a good book a few years ago that describes the importance of endings. In his book, Dr. Cloud explains that in order to move forward, you must let go of or end other things. Closure is essential to moving forward. So as we begin this new year, what do you need to let go of or close from last year? What in your life needs to drop in your celebration of 2023’s arrival?
New year, old challenges
If you are like most of us, the actual calendar date of December 31 isn’t the issue. It is likely something different. Maybe it’s a problem you were determined to resolve yet is still present. Maybe it is a health challenge that is simply not going away. Maybe you, similar to the apostle Paul, have a thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:6-7).
How do we move forward with old challenges still with us in the new year? Maybe the best thing is to remember who was at the beginning and who will be there in the end. From the first sentence of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation, we see that God is both the beginning and the end. Throughout scripture we see God described as “I am.” He was before us, he is with us, and he will be with us until we are with him in eternity. Jesus said it this way in Revelation 22:13: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
He sees, he is at work
If we believe God is the beginning and the end, how can that help us as we begin this new year? For starters, I think we can take confidence that God will be present with us every minute of every day this year. God’s presence isn’t a new phenomenon, but it may be important for us to remember that we are never alone and that God sees and knows our every need in every minute. We can be confident that we will face nothing this year that God doesn’t see.
Philippians 1:6 tells us that God began a good work in us and he will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. God started on us and in us before this year began and he started a good work. We can enter this year without worry because God has promised to bring his good work to completion. Along the way, God will help us complete many tasks and ministries and he may tell us to let some things go. But we can rest assured that the ultimate work he is doing in us will be completed fully when we see Jesus in eternity. Nothing of consequence will be left undone.
‘Fear not’
So take a deep breath and thank God that he is with you now and will be with you until the end of 2023 and beyond. The prophet Isaiah declared that God calls all generations from the beginning and that he is the first and the last (chapter 41). And then he adds this great promise: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Lord, forgive us when we think everything begins and ends with us. Forgive us when we think we can go it alone and that we are the ones who must solve everything. We receive all of your promises about who you are and that you came before us, are with us, will complete your good work in us, and will see us through to the end of our lives and into eternity. As we enter this year we will not fear the days ahead, because we know you are with us! Amen.
Your time with God’s Word
Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-4; Philippians 1:6; Revelation 1:8; 22:13; Isaiah 41:4, 10 ESV
Photo by Moritz Knöringer on Unsplash
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