New Year’s Hope
As we sit here on the precipice of another new year by God’s grace, it is a typical time to reflect back on the year that was, and think ahead to the year to come. It’s a season commonly filled with all sorts of resolutions and goal-setting. We imagine the year ahead, and start to project what kind of year we’d like it to be, how we’d like to grow.
Perhaps we want to eat better, or host more, or sleep more consistently, or exercise more, or memorize more Scripture. Maybe we want to learn a new skill, finish with a good grade in that class, grow a nice thick beard. Whatever it is, setting goals is a good thing. You don’t have to restrict yourself to doing it once a year, but a new year is a reasonable time to start.
Now, some things we don’t typically imagine as we consider growth in a new year are trials, disappointments, suffering, and pain. Surely those are the exact opposite of the type of growth we are pursuing? Those are backwards, not forward, right? How can we think about the possibility of trials and their effect as we look ahead to 2024?
God gives us a sure foundation as he spoke through the apostle James. James writes in the beginning of his letter,
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
First, James reminds us to expect trials — “when you meet trials,” whether big or small. Second, he encourages us that we can hold onto joy within these trials, because through the testing & exercising of our faith, God is working something far beyond what we could imagine in a New Year’s resolution … that we “may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” It’s not that the pain itself is pleasure, but we can hold onto hope & joy in the midst of suffering as we trust the Lord in how he promises to use trials for the building of our faith. In fact, when we look back at our life, we can often see how God has grown us more in times of trial than in times of victory.
So take heart Cities Church. No matter what the Lord has in store for us this year, we can look ahead with fortified hope knowing that he promises to use even the worst things for our good and for our growth in Him. And that reminds us of our need to confess our sins. Pray with me.
Father, we live in a world that is devoted to the avoidance of pain and weakness. Our first response to suffering or setback is often complaining, or blaming, or spiraling trying to figure out why this is happening to us. We fail to trust you in the midst of trials, and we miss the ways you are working for our good. So we confess these & other individual sins to you now in the quiet of this moment.
And now Father, would you turn the eyes of our souls to Jesus, who for the joy set before him endured the greatest trial of the cross with steadfastness, and proved himself perfect in our place. You promise to be with us in the waters of suffering, and the rivers shall not overwhelm us. Transform us to trust you this coming year more and more with the humble confidence of our King, even in the midst of trial. We ask this in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.