Jeremiah 17:7-8(NIV)
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. 8: He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Happy New Year! This is a time of year that signifies renewal, restoration, and new beginnings. It’s a time when we focus on improvements to our lives like financial goals, better health, and new relationships. Most of us like and desire new everything, especially when it comes to significant relationships. Well, there’s an important piece of information about renewal, restoration, and new beginnings that many of us often miss. It’s the reality that if we desire something new, it’s our responsibility to make room for it. This means that a new way of thinking and behaving is the order of the day. Our attitude has to make a shift so that we, ourselves, are in line with the newness we expect.
In the Old Testament, God announced to His people in Isaiah 43:19(NLT), “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” God reminded them who He is. Whether we realize it or not, this is exactly what He’s been doing in our lives since the day we were born. The only reason that you and I are alive today is because God allows us to be. We’ve come this far only by His grace. The very reality of our existence means that God has been demonstrating His unconditional love to us, and He is waiting for us to open our eyes and realize this.
His people living during that time had been enslaved under King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. They were in a terrible fix because they had turned their backs on God. They had allowed themselves to forget the greatness of His love and power. He reminded them that although they couldn’t see a way, He alone would make a way. He told them that He would make a river of flowing water out of dry land. If He would do this for them, how much more will He do for us? The answer to this question is something we ought to be celebrating every moment of each day.
2Peter 1:4 (NLT) tells us, “And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” Our loving Heavenly Father wants us to be fulfilled in life, but we must recognize that the way to achieve this quality existence is to walk in Christ and follow His example. We take ourselves through mental and emotional anxiety, when all God requires is for us to trust Him and His plan for our lives.
The attitude we all need is one of total surrender. This is the way to start off a new day and a new year. It’s trusting the extraordinary promises God has made toward our spiritual growth and total well-being. He’s not going to waver back and forth or fail to come through on His promises. He’s waiting on our thoughts about Him to catch up to the magnitude of all that He is. Your faith is based on your understanding of who you believe God is. To expand your faith, you must make room in your mind and heart for how much He wants to see you live the life He wants for you.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 tells us that we are blessed when we place all our trust in God. We’re like a tree that is planted by waters that continually flow and nourish our roots, because that is what God’s Word and promises does for us. When our faith is firmly planted in Him, we won’t worry about those dry seasons in our lives, because we know that God will make a way. He’ll cause a dry place to overflow with bounty and beauty. So, this year let thoughts of the exceedingly abundant promises of God be your focus, and be determined to stand strong in His love, live courageously and confidently through His power, and no matter what, keep the faith.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
“Great Promises of God”, written by Kim Times, edited by Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!