Revelation 21:5 – And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Hello, New Year.
Hello, 2024.
Hello, Fresh Start?
How many of us entered the New Year, ringing it in with hope? Hope banging in our hearts as loud as the fireworks, as loud as the cheers following the countdown…. 3…2…1… the ball drops in Times Square, NY.
Hope soars. Prayers too. Lord, let this be the year. Let this be the year of all things new in You. We have a list, seems like a mile long, of what we need for You to do in our lives. A list of all the things we think we need for You to make new. Maybe this will be the year that prayer is answered, our relationship is restored with that loved one, that health issue is healed, that wayward child – home, that financial need – provided for, that business deal – sealed, that move – secured, that fresh revelation, that direction, that new beginning. We all fall into the list somewhere.
Here we are, the middle of January. How’s that hope holding out for you this week? Did your new year give way to a glimmer of what you’re seeking? Did you fall flat? Maybe you’re struggling right out of the gate. If you find yourself struggling with a rocky start, there is still hope for you.
Isaiah 40:30-31 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Let Isaiah 40:30-31 be our prayer and our hope. It’s secure footing. We can put our trust in the One who renews, redeems and restores. No matter the circumstance, diagnosis, prognosis…there is hope in every breath the child of God breathes as we yield to His wisdom, timing and divine hand. Here we learn to wait. We become aware of the Source of our provision. We see the Spirit of God work out our situation, work in our situation, as we wait on the Lord. We learn to say, “God it’s your timing, I seek. I trust you. I see you moving. I will wait on the fullness of the work of your hand, Lord.”
John the Revelator saw the astounding proof of the greatest new beginning to come. As we read all that John pens in Revelation, we can be rocked with the greatest hope we’ll ever know! Surely God who has the ultimate masterplan for the redemption of mankind and earth can work wonders in my situation now. Surely a healed body, a healed relationship, a financial need, does not compare to the miracle to come that John foretells. Then we must be reminded, the God of all wonders, miracles and might… He holds this day of mine, and the next.
Revelation 21:5 – And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Our human minds need the reminder and hope of John’s words in Revelation. We need to meditate on His glory, His wonder. We need to tell anxiety and heartache to hush, to bow at the feet of Jesus! We serve a mighty God. Shifting our gaze from the problem to the Problem Solver puts our worship and our perspective in alignment. Proper perspective! Recalibrate us, Lord, if we’ve become out of balance in our thinking. You are the One who is faithful and true. No one is mightier to move than You, Lord. No one is more trustworthy than our Creator.
Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
And there it is! As we rightly focus on God, everything falls into proper perspective. We then are renewed, just as He promises. Every time!
Psalm 98:1 Sing to God a brand-new song. He’s made a world of wonders! He rolled up his sleeves, He set things right.
Let this be your declaration this January. Forgetting the former, focusing on His glory, shifting to the proper perspective of God… the testimony of our lips will be “look what the Lord has done!”
I will sing of His wonders. I will sing of His goodness. I will sing of His works of the past and His goodness to come! I will sing to the Lord a new song.
As January gives way to February, and February to March…and our year begins to unfold, continue to sing to the Lord your new song. The months to come will give way to testimonies of all that God has done in our lives. Let’s make sure that the months to come are filled with a new song of praise for Him, for every day that He gives to us, He is good in it!
By Autumn Temple
IWM’s Intercessory Prayer Leader
