The End…and the Beginning
What do you have to look forward to?
Verses of the Day
“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.”
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
Today’s Devotional
Today is the last day of another challenging year. If you look over the last 10 years, or even the last year, there was probably a time for each of the things listed in Ecclesiastes. Maybe not each of the items was literal, maybe there was a death of a relationship or a job. But throughout our lives, there are times of distress and times of joy. Think back over the last year and reflect on how you can see the hand of God at work, even in the midst of the craziness.
For me, there have been times of spiritual birth. There has been death of some old ideas and ways of thinking. There has been planting in the lives of people. There has been a harvest of spiritual awakening, in myself and in others. I can’t identify a “killing”, unless you count countless moments of surrender. There has been much healing in my life. There has been tearing down of walls in my heart. There has been building up in my faith and my marriage. There have been tears and much laughter. The list goes on…
There are situations in my life that don’t have an outcome yet. But when I reflect on the faithfulness of God, I can look at the current unknowns and know that God’s outcome will be in my best interests. I have to trust His plan, and know that His outcome is better than my best laid plan.
Then I look at the verse from Isaiah and it plants joy in my heart. God is always doing a new thing for us. His mercies are new every morning. What an absolute gift. One that I need each day. The great thing about the verse in Isaiah is the fact that we don’t always perceive how God is moving. Do you ever pray for spiritual eyes to see how God is working?
If there is any place of wilderness or wasteland in your life today as you enjoy your last day of the year, you need to know that God is making a way. God is holding your hand as you walk through a scary place. Our God is a God of such love and faithfulness that He cannot fail us. He will never leave you to fend for yourself.
Even with the hard parts, I can say that this year has been one of joy. The habit of gratitude has changed my life. Spending time in the Word has changed my perspective. And there is so much hope in the fact that we never “arrive” in our relationship with God. There is always more to learn and discover. My prayer is that I never stop seeking the God of creation and salvation. That I never stop learning how to live each day more like Jesus.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Reflect over the last year and write down moments of God’s faithfulness.
Write down the current unknowns and ask for God’s will in these areas.
How can you actively wait on God’s plan?
How can you seek God first?
Think about making spiritual resolutions for the new year.
Seek first His Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you.