This will be my 55th New Year's celebration. Of course I don't remember any of them prior to around age 10-12. However, whether conscience of them or not, they came and went each year and each time symbolizing something really significant for the human psyche.
It's not hard to see it coming: all the diet programs start blitzing the airwaves with promises of overnight lost pounds and inches; businesses reset their strategic plans to reach higher and further than the previous year; and almost everyone is making New Year's resolutions that will, for the most part, be a distant memory by March or April.
In spite of the reality of our human weakness, new beginnings are a big deal!!
In an environment quite a bit worse than ours, the prophet Jeremiah said "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are NEW EVERY MORNING; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I have hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him." Lamentations 3:21-25 (all cap emphasis added)
Finding himself in a very similar environment to that of a city just taken over by ISIS, Jeremiah recalls to mind something so significant that it brings him the one thing that there's a desperate shortage of, hope! What's even better, he doesn't have to wait until January 1st to experience this new beginning, it's available and NEW EVERY MORNING!!!
The Lord's lovingkindnesses and compassions (grace and mercy) are absolutely available and new every single morning. So why am I not experiencing them?!?!?! Very simply, it might be because we're looking in the wrong place.
In the midst of a literal holocaust, Jeremiah decides turn his focus from his circumstances and to the One who is the only source of supernatural grace and mercy, "The Lord is my portion...therefore I have hope in HIM." Every day we can sit with the Author of life and let Him be our new beginning. He is not only greater than any of our circumstances, He is the One who orchestrates all of our circumstances for our good and His glory (Genesis 50:20; Isaiah 14:24; 45:5-7; Romans 8:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:24)!
If you're into making New Year's Resolutions please ask the Lord every day to do whatever necessary to put you in front of Him every morning! He will absolutely change the way you look at life; He will absolutely change the way you live life!!!
Happy New Beginnings every morning!
Father please make us a people who 'wait' for You and 'seek' You with all our hearts. O God I am so prone to take life into my own hands, please remind me that You only are the source of life and You only are the hope of life. Make us a people who trust You and obey You no matter our circumstances! Father, please use us in 2016 to reach the hurting and broken and share the love of Jesus with all You put in our path. I beg You, Father, please make us a people who could say from our hearts, "Whom have I in heaven but You and besides You I desire nothing on earth." I come to You in the all powerful Name of Jesus our King! Amen!
