Can you believe it? A NEW year is upon us! There's something about putting up those new wall calendars. It gives a sense of a new beginning, a fresh start, a tingle of hope.
I always put a calendar on my refrigerator and in my office space right above my desk. As I look at the days marked out ahead of me, I find myself praying. Asking God to fill those days with His purposes for my life. To show me how to walk in His ways and to listen for His still small voice more intently.
How is it with you? Are you looking to 2024 with anticipation of new opportunities? Maybe fresh perspectives on some long-standing burdens in your life? Maybe 2023 ended on a not-so-good note. That's OK. With Jesus, every new morning is filled with His mercies toward us. His promises are still standing.
Why don't we join together in praying for each other? In a world filled with constant negativity, we can choose to lift one another up in our faith in Jesus. One of the greatest treasures God has given us is praying friends. So as we pray, here are 3 promises we can claim on behalf of one another:
Jeremiah 31:3
"The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you."
We need to be constantly reminded of the amazing and perfect love our Heavenly Father has for us. It is His unwaverling love that transforms who we are from the inside out. It is also His perfect love that casts away all fear out of our hearts.
Matthew 4:4
"But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."
Let's ask for God to give us hunger, deep hunger for His Word. Whenever I go to the post office and get out of my car, there is a most delicious aroma in the air. I know, you're thinking, at a post office? The aroma is not from the post office, but from a bakery in the vicinity. Especially in the morning hours, the sweet smell of freshly baked bread literally makes my mouth water, just thinking of the taste of it. Are our hearts craving the sweet Bread of Life? He and His Word will satisfy us like no other.
Ephesians 4:31-32
"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."
Let's pray for the Holy Spirit to do His work in our hearts every day. On our own, we cannot be kind. We cannot forgive. We cannot put away bitterness. Why? Because we are filled with sin and are not capable of doing any good thing in and of our own strength. That's why we need Jesus. Every hour, every moment, we need His constant abiding presence in us to make these things possible. And He has promised that as we abide in Him and He in us, we truly do become a new creation. The old passes away, and the new has come.
So as we launch into the new 2024, let's do it with the anticipation that God is leading us every step of the way. He will not abandon us. We are His children. He is always faithful.
