WATCHWORD:
1 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Meditation:
Where Were You?
New Year’s Eve. Where were you on this day in…let’s say, 2001? Just twenty years ago. Can you recall? I was in Chicago, staying at the Raphael Hotel, and that night attended the Les Miserables at the Auditorium Theater. See, my Prevagen is working! HA!
Oh, I could show off even more. In 1995, I attended a performance of “Grease” at the Shubert Theater, Chicago. Let’s see, attended a Colts game with The Shepherds and the Garners in 2006. In 2005, I was in Yucca Valley, CA with my kids, Beth and Eric. In 2005, I was with our friends, the Hulets, in their cozy home, Grasmere, in the hollows of Nashville, IN. In 2003 was with Stef and the gang in Cincinnati and in 2002, in Goshen with Laura and her tribe.
Impressed? Well, it’s not Prevagen, it’s better. It’s Oswald Chambers! In 1965, I received a gift of a just-off-the-press Golden Book edition of My Utmost for His Highest. Some four or five years later that book became a regular part of my time with the Lord. It accompanied me throughout my life, my travels, etc., for nearly 50 years. In the 80’s I started noting in the margins where we were and what we were doing, kind of a travel journal. I use it on occasion. The binding has surrendered to time, pages are loose, yet it holds the treasurers of time, experiences and loved ones. Priceless.
So, where were you on New Year’s Eve past? What do you recall of your times with family and other loved ones? Adventures taken, God’s blessings witnessed? Unforgettable times that have somehow slipped into the back of your mind. A life of graces and good moments. Maybe like these:
It’s an early day in spring, it is warm, the sky is deep blue and wild flowers are everywhere, in this mountain valley. In short, it is a perfect day and you alone are there to witness this bit of God’s handiwork. There should be a crowd, a huge crowd, the largest in the world to see this and feel the beauty of the day. But it is just you, and you sit and soak up the perfect scene, and you thank God.
Or, perhaps, you witness something indelible. Maybe a young father kneeling before his small son, who is sprawled on the ground crying. The father gently lifts the son to his feet, and kisses the bruised knees. Even from this distance you can tell that the child has stopped crying and is now giggling. The father gathers the child in his arms, then lifts the boy onto his shoulders, as they walk away. In your heart, you know you just witnessed God’s love in action.
You and your family sit on the deck of an old cinder-block cabin overlooking Lake Michigan, and you watch together the perfection of a sunset. As the sun makes its final dazzle on the horizon, one of your kids murmurs “Amen” and we all realize that the show was a blessing from God.
This has been a hard year, in so many ways. Yet every moment was a gift from God. Even when boredom may have overtaken us, God was there. Even in those rare times when hope seemed in short supply, He was there for you, for me, for all of us. Yes, we have all shared some difficult times, but if we would recall with honesty and clarity, the gifts were right there. We just have to see through the grey and grumpy wrapping paper to the gifts that the Lord has given us, and pause, as this year ends, and say, thank you, Jesus.
Oswald Chambers leaves us with this final sentence: “Leave the Irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistible Future with Him.” Amen.
Bulletin Board:
As I wrote this, a song was playing on my radio: “Here I am, Lord”, and I recalled with great fondness a group of guys at the close of a powerful weekend, talking about our Fourth Day and ‘what’s next?’, what would we do in this new mission, the Lord has given us?. Then, someone started singing. Remembers these words?
I, the Lord of sea and sky
I have heard my people cry
All who dwell in dark and sin
My hand will save
I, who made the stars of night
I will make their darkness bright
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night
I will go, Lord, if you lead me
I will hold your people in my heart
Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Lord and Savior, at the end of one year that has often tested us, and on the threshold of a new year, unsure what it will bring, but we trust You. We pray Lord, that You will open our eyes so that we may see what You would have us see. That You would unstop our ears so that we may hear what You want us to hear. That You would open our mouths to respond when You call to us, when You urge us to move, to reach out, to speak. May we, this year, Lord, truly be one who would go, if You call and lead us. Is it I lord? So, we end this year, Lord, with a grateful heart for the experience of resting more firmly in Your arms. And as we turn and look to tomorrow may we embrace it as we do each day knowing full well that this is the year that You have made and we will rejoice daily and be glad. We offer these prayers, Lord, in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and our savior. Amen.
