As the year ends, people all over the world seek to find ways that the next can be a greater, more productive year than the previous. New Year’s resolutions are set in place, and people strive to accomplish their goals. Often one of the challenges that arises in this type of approach is that as the New Year begins, we set out to accomplish our goals in our own strength, without God. As a result, our goals slowly fizzle out, and we find the New Year not much different than the previous.
After a short while, we can begin to think that making a New Year’s resolution or the New Year’s being any better is more or less a mirage. We see it far off but cannot quite get there, or when we seemingly do, it still eludes our grasp. Hope is lost quickly as discouragement takes over.
Not only that, but 2020 was a time that was full of affliction, loss, and challenges for many of us. Churches were shut down, jobs were lost, and many of you may have had to shut down your business for good. As you read this, maybe you still have not found a job and are struggling to make ends meet. Maybe you have had to downsize and sell your home or a vehicle in order to get by.
Wherever you find yourself, I want to assure you that there is hope. As we look at our world as things seemingly fall apart before our eyes, or even at our own lives as they just don’t measure up to even our own standards let alone God’s, hope eludes our grasp. The reason for this is that our eyes and our focus are on the wrong thing.
A horizontal approach to life will never yield hope, satisfaction, or contentment. A horizontal approach to life will also never yield a strength that is outside of yourself for each new day or even for a New Year. A vertical approach is the only way. As we look to God and see what He says in His Word, we can find the strength and hope to make this New Year better than the previous.
Does God care about the New Year?
It can be easy to assume that God does not care about the New Year, but I beg to differ. In order to approach the New Year properly and with the strength of God, we must gain an understanding about what He thinks about the New Year. In order to do this, it is helpful to do a word study on the word new.
• God desires for us to sing a new song (Ps. 96:1)
• God desires to give us a new heart (Ezk. 36:26)
• God desires to give us a new spirit (Ezk. 36:26)
• God desires for us to partake in the new covenant (Lk. 22:20)
• God desires to give us a new commandment (Jn. 13:34)
• God desires to create a new form of unity (Eph. 2:15)
• God desires for us to put on the new self (Col. 3:10)
• God desires to open to us a new way (Heb. 10:20)
• God desires to give us a new name (Rv. 2:17)
• God desires to make a new heaven (Is. 65:17)
• God desires to make a new earth (Is. 65:17)
• God desires to make all things new (Rv. 21:5)
Clearly God is in the business of making things new, to the point where He says in Scripture, “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new” (English Standard Version, Rv. 21:5). God cares about newness. In reality, the only One who stays the same is God Himself. We are living in an ever-changing world with newness around each corner.
How to approach the New Year
So the question arises, “How do I approach the New Year?” Previous years may have been approached without looking at it from God’s perspective. In the event that we do not look at people, our lives, or our circumstances through the eyes of God, we will fail to have the power to bring about what God desires. Along with these challenges that arise in our attempts to reform our lives come the challenges that are simply out of our control that press in on us and begin to choke us out.
The coronavirus this year is a great example of one of those challenges. We can’t do a whole lot to change the trajectory of where our country is going in terms of the coronavirus. This can leave us fearful and hopeless. But it is in these moments that we find ourselves ultimately dropping faith and not seeing things through the eyes of God.
God desires that things would be made new, and there is no reason to believe that God is not moving toward His intended purpose. When we know that God is for newness, and even for newness this coming year, we can then begin to walk in the strength and power of God. As circumstances may look bleak sometimes, and as you begin to look at your life and think not much has changed, look to God and find your hope in Him. He desires that things would be made new, and therefore they will be.
The God of creation
God has created many marvelous sights in our world from the vast oceans to the towering mountain peaks. God has created everything from the mighty elephant to the hard-working ant. God has also fashioned an insect to help us to know Him better.
The caterpillar is well-known insect that I’m sure you are all very familiar with by now. This little creature may have some visual appeal at times as it slinks around on the ground with its somewhat colorful skin and occasionally spikey back. While there are features about it that can get our attention, it is not something that has a tendency to captivate us. Much like this past year for most of us.
However, once in its life, this little insect does something amazing. It changes from something that was easy to be overlooked and forgotten into something with immense splendor. As the pupa phase reaches its end, a bright and beautiful butterfly emerges from the chrysalis and begins to flutter its wings and soar through the air. It is made new, and it has the marks and appearance to show it.
Final thoughts
God loves making things new. It is part of His design. He has built it into the very fabric of humanity and nature itself. He is moving all of creation toward His desired end. This year, you can know that God is with you as you seek to make things new in your life as long as they are done in accordance with His Word. You can also know that for whatever there is that is outside of your control, God is concerned in bringing newness and His glory to bear on that situation.
Hope can found for the New Year. Hope can even be found for today. Hope in God as the psalmist said, and set yourself down in the waves with the anchor of His love and care.
Closing prayer
Father, I thank You that You desire to make all things new. This helps me to know that You are behind me as I seek newness for my own life. Please help me to remember that this year and to invite You into my life to bring about newness. You and You alone have the strength and power I need as I approach this New Year. In Jesus’ name, Amen.