“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28

How good is the God we adore,

Our faithful, unchangeable Friend: 

Whose love is as great as His power,

And knows neither measure nor end.

 

‘Tis Jesus the First and the Last,

Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home:

We’ll praise Him for all that is past,

And trust Him for all that’s to come.

 This little hymn written in the 18^th century by Joseph Hart has been going through my head as I contemplated “ringing out the old year, and ringing in the new.”  A New Year with all its plans and dreams is upon us!   But, do we truly “praise Him for all that is past, and trust Him for all that’s to come?”  I think of some who have lost a loved one, perhaps a spouse who was the love of their life, or a sweet, innocent child!  Perhaps in the past year, you have lost a job, or your house was foreclosed, or you suffered persecution of the worst kind.  Is God really my faithful unchangeable Friend?  Where is the “good” in it?  Didn’t He have the power to change the situation?

We can drive ourselves crazy asking God questions that we know the answer to!  Yes, He is good and has our best interests at heart.  A widow friend told me that when her husband passed away, God had closed the book on his life with a period.  Her book was still being written. For her it was a period at the end of a chapter and God had other plans for her!  Even through our tears, we know that God works all things for our good and has a purpose for each day, even the difficult times of life when God might seem far away and prayers aren’t being answered the way we would like.  We have to see God’s hand in everything and accept our circumstances from Him.  When we thank Him in all things, God works in our life to bring honor and glory to Him.  He comforts us so we can comfort others!  The secret to a happy life is seeing God’s hand in everything!

With the coming of a new year, let’s pray about His direction.  There are new adventures that await us!  Perhaps one “resolution” would be to spend more time with the Lord each day.  Pray about what the Lord would have you accomplish, a person you could speak to about your Savior, or perhaps listen to a friend going through a rough patch in their life.  God is able to do abundantly more than we ask or think if we would tap into the power of the Holy Spirit that “knows neither measure nor end!” 

Let’s not forget the children!  Before Christmas, we took a group of children caroling in the neighborhood.  It was delightful to see the reaction of surprise and joy on the faces of the neighbors when they opened the door and saw those sweet children singing songs of Jesus’ birth!  Some were prayed for, some received a blessing, all received a packet with God’s purpose in sending Jesus to this earth.  It was a blessed evening!  “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.”  Psalm 8:2.

It’s a new year, so much to thank Him for in the old year, and trust Him for His blessings in the new!

Your friend, Jean