You Alone Lord
There's a strange sense of hope that always accompanies the beginning of a new year--even for those of us who try to stay jaded to those kinds of things, mostly from a fear of being disappointed.
A new year can bring with it a sense of freshness and newness because, for all intents and purposes, we have pressed the symbolic "restart" button which brings with it a chance to move beyond the mistakes and struggles of the previous year.
But for many of us, it doesn't take long for all of our worries and fears to return and the hope of a new year can quickly be replaced with the dread of the old.
It is at this point that we return to our old ways of dealing with these feelings, and we wrongly assume that if we spend more, consume more, paddle faster, work harder and over schedule that we'll stay on top of it all.
Walter Brueggeman once wrote:
"It is a great illusion in our society that if we have enough money, enough technology, enough pharmaceuticals, or enough weapons we can secure our own future."So where do we turn when the new year begins to resemble the one we left behind? What do we do when we feel our hope being replaced by worry? We can begin by heeding the words of the Psalmist from Psalm 4 in the Hebrew Scriptures:
Many, Lord, are asking, "Who will bring us prosperity?" Let the light of your face shine on us. Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:6-8May you lean on God to be your peace as you step into the hopeful uncertainty of this new year. And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.
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