Let 2019 Begin!

2018 is in the book. Like most years it gets mixed reviews, but who am I to judge. Every year brings opportunities to grow and learn. Neither am I big on new years resolutions, but I do love opportunities to start a fresh.

Psalm 139 has some wisdom for us all. NLT

¹⁶ You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

This helps me to put life in perspective, God’s perspective.

¹⁷ How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
    They cannot be numbered!
¹⁸ I can’t even count them;
    they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
    you are still with me!

For me and others I know 2019 is a year of anticipation. We have all learned a lot and many sense the momentum of change in the air, but to take it in it helps to ‘step back’. If we stare at the past or at our challenges or problems too closely we lose sight of the fuller, eternal perspective. We can get stuck when we don’t pull back. However, when we focus on our Creator and His sovereign viewpoint, knowledge and power to act, we are free to relax and trust the promises in the Word.

And when I step back I begin to feel the wind in my hair. I am not God, so I cannot see as far down my path as the Creator can, but I do have hope and choose to take the steps I can see. Those steps move me into my future to fulfill my destiny. With each step forward, a little more of the next steps become clear.

What about you? We all get stuck from time to time. We are human. If you haven’t already this year, try scheduling some time to step back and ask Creator for the eternal perspective on what is before you in this season.

If you are not sure what to ask, pray for the one who made us to be the only one to guide your thinking. Then try sitting quietly, or better yet read Psalm 139 or another passage of the Bible. Have a conversation with the Holy Spirit about what you are reading. Trust the still small voice and the ‘holy hunches’ that come to mind. Journal the thoughts, breathe, and stick with it for as long as possible.

Abba, I ask you to give each of us Your sense of anticipation for 2019. Free us from our fears and expectations so we can be in alignment with Your best plans for us. Fill us with the joy and hope in believing that comes when we focus on you. Amen

*Photo taken on my phone by a stranger. I offered to help her rather than take a selfie with her wiggly dog=}. She returned the favor.