When last year started, I looked forward to finally uttering this title phrase at the end of 2020 knowing that it would be literal! Like everyone else, I had no clue that it would wind up becoming so much more than just a clever pun or twist on words. I know I’m not the only one who breathed a heavy sigh at 11:59pm on December 31st and prayed, “Lord, let next year be better.”
So here we are. It’s “next year”. We’ve wasted no time in tossing our 2020 calendars and day planners away and jumping into 2021 with both feet forward and a (cautious) sense of optimism in tow. But if hindsight really is 20/20 (or 2020), then we owe it to this year ahead to reflect on perhaps the biggest lesson the last 12 months have taught us:
Our hope doesn’t lie in a new year. Our hope lies in the One Who makes all things new.
There’s nothing wrong with beginning each January filled with expectation and anticipation. Hope is, after all, a gift from God Himself. The danger lies in having that hope come from the things of this world: our circumstances, our possessions, our own sense of self-worth. Even putting our faith in relationships with family and friends is destined to end in some level of disappointment. No object or person or new year’s resolution – no matter how much value we place on it – can satisfy our deep-seated longing for eternal hope beyond what our limited earthly perspective can see.
One of my favorite verses lately is Psalm 65:11. The psalmist, David, is writing praises to God for His salvation and providence. He declares:
“You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.”
Don’t you love that visual imagery? God doesn’t mete out His goodness and abundance like it’s running in short supply. He’s not interested in rationing the gifts He so freely gives to His children – despite the fact that we’re utterly undeserving. I don’t know about you, but living in a world that has collectively felt such a deep sense of loss over the last year, the idea of the God of the universe being gracious enough to “drip His paths with abundance” for us, isn’t just a nice thought or a fairytale idea to me. It’s completely overwhelming.
Here, amidst the brokenness of humanity, God is consistently, unwaveringly faithful to me. And to you. And to every single one of His children who choose to put their hope in Him.
As we do our best to put 2020 behind us, let’s not be so quick to forget what hindsight reveals in the rearview mirror. Regardless of what lies ahead in this new year on earth, we carry with us the hope of generations of believers who have gone before us. Instead of kicking off the year with resolutions, I want to challenge you to carry this declaration into each day – a promise for us in every triumph and trial we face:
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” -Hebrews 13:8
Amen.
