A New Year Is Upon Us

It seems strange to already be in the month of January 2021. What happened to 2020? As I take the time to really reflect on this past year and what this new year can bring, I am quieted in my heart by the faithfulness of God. Truly, we can proclaim that the faithfulness of the Lord has been so evident. I think of Lamentations 3:22-26. “The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him! The LORD is wonderfully good to those who wait for Him and seek Him. So, it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD.”

A number of words stand out to me from Lamentations: unfailing love, faithfulness, mercy, hope, and the goodness of God. These are the gifts of God to our hearts as we begin this new year. We can trust His faithfulness. We can trust His love. We can lean into His goodness and find renewed hope to carry us forward.

As I pray regarding vision for the church going forward there is one word that keeps in the very forefront of my thoughts—it is the word purposeful. The idea is that we would be “purposeful” in our relationship with Christ. We would pursue a greater intimacy with the Lord through purposeful times of reading God’s Word and spending time in prayer. We would be purposeful in fellowship. We would be purposeful in church attendance as things move forward and we see COVID-19 in the rearview mirror. We would be purposeful in loving others with the love of Jesus.

2020 definitely had its ups and its downs. But let us now move forward with great faith, knowing that our Lord has been with us, is with us now, and will continue to be with us each and every day.