Reflections for the New Year
Another year has drawn to a close and it seems a good time to reflect on the year that has gone and to look forward to the brand new year ahead.
No doubt there will have been occasions that bring happy memories or there may have been times you would rather not remember; many will have encountered stressful days where the world was filled with gloom and it felt like the sun would never shine again. Some will have had health issues, money worries or relationship problems; often life seems to be a never ending roundabout of crises!
Nothing much has really changed throughout history- when you read the Bible there are countless records of people, both great and small crying out in distress – Job, for example certainly had one huge crisis after another- read the first few chapters of the book of Job and you will know what I mean!
David too experienced low points in his life and wrote about them in many of his psalms- for example in Ps 25:16 he cries…’have mercy upon me for I am desolate and afflicted’ and Psalm 69 is another cry of deep distress.
Many of the Old Testament prophets, Elijah, Jeremiah, Jonah, to name a few, also faced life threatening situations and similarly in the New Testament, particularly the book of Acts you can read of Stephen’s martyrdom –(Acts 7:54-60) while the apostles and early Christians certainly faced severe persecutions and trials.
One common theme throughout these accounts is that the person in trouble ‘called to the Lord.’ When life throws a curve ball we can turn to all sorts of solutions for help, and the world does seem to offer easy answers or self help programs that should instantly make everything right.
Let me tell you they don’t work! And the reason is that in ourselves we are unable to help ourselves, as the Bible states- “There is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10) and again “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)
There is only one who can help make your life right and help you get through the trials and challenges of life and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He urges in Matthew 11:29 “Come unto me all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest” and in Psalm 55:22- Cast thy burden on the Lord and he shall sustain thee”
As we enter 2020 with the inevitable highs and lows, don’t lurch blindly from one hurdle to another- Take God at his promise, commit your life into His hands and you will indeed find rest for your soul. The troubled times may still come, Jesus never promised that his followers would have a life of ease- but what He did promise was “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5