Happy New Year!
Louise Duval
LPC, LAC, CAC
Happy New Year!
A New Year is a chance to reflect on our lives and what we want to do as we move forward. Over the past year, I have been studying the book of Isaiah. Before that Bible study, I didn’t take time to read too much in Isaiah except a few chapters here and there. However, as I have studied, God has shown me that the whole book is about His plan for redemption, and redemption is a good word for a new year. There is quite a bit of judgment in Isaiah, but judgment only comes after God repeatedly calls His people to repent, and when judgment happens, it is for the purpose of getting rid of sin so He can redeem or get His people back.
God created the world perfect, and now, because of sin, it is no longer perfect, but if you look, you can see glimpses of the beauty of God, and that is because He is currently in the process of redeeming His world and His people. I was privileged to be able to go on an Alaskan cruise this past summer, and it was easy to see the beauty of God’s creation there. You see snow-capped mountains, beautiful landscapes, glaciers, whales, etc. Sometimes, it is hard to see in our day-to-day lives. However, if you look, you can see it in a friendly person, a smile, a child’s laughter, or a beautiful sunrise/sunset. All of that is a reminder that God has not left us. No matter how bad things seem sometimes, He is redeeming. The ultimate way we see God’s redemptive work is when someone recognizes their need for Jesus and allows Him to transform their life. If you have not experienced God’s redemption in your own life, God wants you to experience it in this New Year, and there would be no better way to start 2024 than to have a heart cleaned by God and a relationship with Him. If you have experienced His redemption, perhaps this New Year is a chance for you to be involved in God’s redemptive work. The world will not be fully redeemed until Jesus returns, but if Christ has redeemed your life, you are one of His instruments. He wants to use you in the work of redeeming others.
As 2024 begins, look for glimpses of God’s beauty in the world and let that motivate you to be a part of the work of redemption. If you are filled with awe by seeing something God has created here, you can know what a great gift your salvation is because the most incredible beauty you see here does not compare to what is promised to those He has redeemed. To the redeemed, He has promised that one day you will be in Heaven, forever experiencing the presence of God in a place more beautiful than you can ever imagine. Many in this world do not have that hope, but as God’s redeemed, you can help them find hope.
Isaiah 50:4 says: “The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.” This passage talks about The Servant who is Jesus, but if you are a follower of Jesus, you have been given words that sustain the weary. Many in our world are weary and hurting, there is no hope except Jesus, and you can share that hope with whoever God puts in your path. Be encouraged that as you waken, you can listen to God and speak His words to others. Isaiah 53:5 says: “But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” This verse brings great peace because no matter how bad things get in this world, I do not face it alone. God is with me. Because of what Jesus did for me, I never have to experience the greatest pain in life: separation from God. Jesus experienced that for me, so I don’t have to.
A verse I like to reflect on each New Year it says in Isaiah 43:18-19: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it; I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Whatever your past year has been like, don’t dwell there. Allow God to use you this year in His work of redemption.
God, as we awaken to a New Year, may we look for how You are redeeming Your lost world and be involved in that work with You. May we listen to You as we listen to those You place in our paths. May we let You guide our words so that we may offer the hope we have to those who are hurting and weary and need to experience Your redemption. May You allow us to experience glimpses of Your beauty and love each day as we look forward to spending eternity with You!