Goodbye to 2023 and Hello to 2024

I was listening to a recent newscast where the panel of commentators were discussing the results of a new poll, where it was reported that 63% of the participants felt that 2023 had been a bad year for them.  And while I wasn’t really surprised with the findings of the poll, I had to stop and think for awhile of how I would personally characterize this past year.

Sure, I am spending a lot more on my monthly expenses… in almost every category, but yet my Christian faith and trust in God’s Word doesn’t really allow for complaining as I have repeatedly seen the positive results of Philippians 4:19 where the Apostle Paul wrote,

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (KJV)

This scripture is specifically written in the context of financial supply and I joyfully report that while my expenses have increased… so has, what I consider to be, the supernatural provision of the increased demand upon my checkbook… and I usually end up with a nice balance leftover in my monthly budget!

So, with that settled, I took a few moments this morning to look back at 2023 to see what lessons I may of… or possibly should of learned in the course the last 365 days.  As I considered and prayed about it, I suddenly heard the phrase inside of me saying:

“Go back to the beginnings…”

And I knew in an instant what it meant and flashed back to all the notes that I have been taking during my morning Bible study over the last few weeks!  It would seem that since mid-November of this year, that the Lord has been constantly “Bringing me back to the beginnings” of Piper’s and my marriage when He marked us with a revelation of scriptures that directed our Christian walk and our belief system, so that it played a major part in just about every decision we ever made!

For us it was similar to the young teenage virgin Mary to whom the angel appeared in order to announce the birth of Jesus and God the Father’s salvation plan for mankind.  As with Mary, Piper and I made the decision at the beginning of our marriage to believe in and to apply the miraculous power of the Word of God in our lives, and declared in agreement to the Lord, "may it be with us in accordance with your words!"*

For us though, the specific scripture that lit the fire of faith in us for our entire marriage and continues on with me today, is found in Mark 11:24 where Jesus taught His disciples the message of the God kind of faith** by instructing them saying,

“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. “ (KJV)

As I look back over 2023… and every past decade beginning in the 1970’s… I can see multiple situations and experiences where the Lord brought us “Back to the beginnings” of our faith in order to enable us to gain renewed strength and momentum to successfully accomplish the task before us and/or face and see victory in the midst of trying times.

As you look back on 2023 and ahead to the fresh New Year… can you see times when you went “Back to the beginnings” of your faith that strengthened you and carried you through to victory in life?  Are there positive lessons in your past that you might need to regain familiarity with in order to empower you to better times in 2024?  Are there any life lessons from your beginnings that you may need to dust off to help you through your todays and tomorrows?

Granted there may be some experiences from your past that you would rather like to forget… and I’ve had plenty of those!  But then there are also those, like Piper’s and my faith beginnings surrounding the Word of God… and in particular Mark 11:22-24… that have been the bedrock for our Christian walk, guided just about every major and most minor decisions we ever made… and still is the rock that I depend on as I navigate life anew with the memory of Piper strongly speaking to my heart.

How about you?  What are the beginnings that you would like to re-establish in your life for 2024?  I believe that God wants the best for you in this new year… so why not re-connect with Him in His Word… and let His truth revolutionize your faith and bring you into new and exciting depths of His Faith, His Grace, His Joy and His Peace throughout 2024… and beyond!

Have a great New Year… keep EXPECTING His Best… and then pass it on to others!

 

*Luke 1:38 (KJV)

** Mark 11:22