As I was writing Christmas and New Year's greetings to friends, I found myself writing (and praying) this over and over again: "May Jesus fill you with true hope as you trust Him with 2017!"
Hope. It's a word we hear a lot this time of year. We hope that this new year will be even better than the one before it. We hope we will find success, fulfillment, direction. We make wishes and hope they come true.
The thing is, we aren't guaranteed any of those things. While we can rely on God's provision and protection, we don't get to decide which gifts are perfect (James 1:17) and from what He should defend us (2 Thess. 3:3). We desire control over our circumstances and long for confidence that 2017 will exceed our expectations, but our omniscient Father asks us to surrender and follow (Psalm 9:10).
According to Romans 5, our hope comes not from knowing what's ahead, but knowing the One who has already gone ahead. Hope develops as we persevere through the most challenging of circumstances. And hope rests in the finished work of Christ, who reconciled us to Himself "while we were yet sinners."
So, at the dawn of this New Year, "let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess" (Hebrews 10:23). Whether our circumstances seem hopeful in our eyes or not, let's allow God's character and promises be our firm foundation. May He fill us to overflowing with true hope as we trust in Him (Romans 15:13)!
And so the blog post is written! Thank you for sharing truth, as always, friend. It's so encouraging and convicting.
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