2024 has well and truly begun.
It’s easy to be excited at a new year starting; there is a sense of anticipation the coming year will be better than the year before. Some of us had a great 2023 and some of us were counting down the minutes so we could farewell 2023. Some people spend a lot of time reflecting on the year that was and making resolutions and plans to help ensure a better year. And some just carry on like normal. Regardless of whether we make resolutions or not, by now we all know that a new year doesn’t bring any guarantees other than a new date to try and remember!
Remember God.
I personally don’t do new year resolutions as I realised long ago that my desire to change my life shouldn’t be dependent on the calendar. I also learned that I have a small amount of control over things that happen in life. Instead, I spend time reflecting on what God did and what I am prayerfully hoping He will do in the new year. I spend time recounting the doors that He opened, the prayers that He answered, and the times He made his presence felt. I remember the times I felt his peace in the middle of a storm or a battle. I recall the testimonies of others who experienced his love and grace. I remind my heart and soul of the works of His hands and prepare my heart for a new year of awe of and wonder.
Expectant Hope
For many of us, when the clock stuck midnight on New Years Eve, it carried the uncertainty of 2023 into 2024. But as we navigate this new year and the different seasons, one thing we can be certain of is God. We can be certain that as the clock keeps ticking away this year, God will still be God. God’s love for us will still be deep and eternal. He will still be there, in every moment and every season. His grace will still be sufficient. Because whilst life changes, God doesn’t change. And because of this certainty, we can awake each day with an expectant hope that God will do something beautiful in the world. We can be hopeful that we will see God’s hand in circumstances and situations around us.
New Year, Same God
Our God is unchanging. Hebrews 13:8 states, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” He is the same yesterday, today and forever more. The same God that created the world is the same God that goes before us today and tomorrow and every day after that. The God who loved you to the point of death loves you just as much now as He did when he sent Jesus to the cross. God doesn’t change. Seasons change. Our circumstances change. People around us change. We change. But God doesn’t change. He never has and never will because He is honour and integrity and faithfulness.
As we all go about our lives in 2024, can I encourage us to remember that our God is a good, faithful, and unchanging God. May we be expectant that Jesus will restore, redeem, and renew any lost hope. And may we always remember that He will do immeasurably more than we can possibly imagine or hope for (Eph 3:20).
Reflection Questions
Can you recall the times you saw God’s hand in situations or circumstances in 2023?
What are you expectant for God to do in 2024?
