A Prayer & A Hope For The New Year

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘”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); ‘Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.’ (Romans 12:12)

This is an ‘if/then’ statement; we often look at Jeremiah 29:11 and look at the statement but fail to understand that this is the ‘then’ part.  The ‘if’ part is to be Faithful in our walk in Christ; to understand that negative things will happen.   Life is often ‘two steps forward, one step back’; we get setback at first, then jump forward, then get setback, then jump forward. 

Adding Romans 12:12 to Jeremiah 29:11 puts it in proper context.   As long as we have Faith in Jesus that contains Joy (contentment and exhilaration in God’s Plan, not necessarily with happiness – though that’s a plus) in our lives regardless of circumstance, we will prosper and continue to move forward in Hope.  Bad things will happen, we will get that obstacle that will cause us to stumble or get hung up.  But in Faith that Jesus has a plan for His followers, we have Hope in our future, that things may go to His plan and not necessarily ours. 

As I’ve said previously, to many of us Hurricanes Ian and Idalia were curses with all the damage and destruction, but within all of that came a blessing; many people heard the Word of the Lord and turned to seek Him solely because of Ian.  It drew neighbors closer together.  Our fellow Baptists sprung into action. Many saw the hope and the future in the midst of calamity, similar to what the Israelites saw when they were exiled to Babylon.

If you are hoping for 2024 to be a better year than 2023, you are not alone; I pray that 2024 is a better year, but in being a better year that it is better in terms of Faith, Evangelism, and an outpouring of Revival (and no hurricanes).  If it is better in terms of meager storms or personal discomfort, then I pray that we don’t forget that the God we worship in the bad times is the same God who we should worship in the good times.