Did We Remember God?
January has always been the month for starting fresh. We make New Year’s resolutions. We attempt to break bad habits and adopt new, healthy ones. We strive for a better life. But I started to wonder: Do we plan to let God lead us in the New Year?
Who better to ask for guidance on our goals than God? We seek blog posts and Instagram reels, but what about going directly to the Father? God is the source of our very existence, and deep down we know it. But we are very successful in distracting ourselves from this truth. I know I have been guilty of it many times. I’m too afraid to hear what God has to say. What if it’s too scary? What if it’s hard?
We can’t let these fears hinder God’s perfect plans for us. If we haven’t yet, let’s invite Him into this new year. Hand your plans and desires to Him, and trust Him to guide your steps. He will!
Historically, humanity has been more successful in pulling away from God than drawing near. We can see this theme throughout the Old and New Testaments, and we still see it today, but don’t despair. This diagnosis doesn’t need to be terminal.
When we let God be in charge of our lives, we can be assured of two things. His ways will be contrary to the world’s, and we will be exactly where we are supposed to be, and we’ll be doing exactly what we're supposed to do. I don’t know about you, but that truth excites me!
Our Righteous Examples
God has given everyone what they need to live a godly life (2 Peter 1:3-4). Isn’t that encouraging!? One of those things is His Word. We’ve been given examples from Genesis to Revelation about how wicked humanity is, but God also gave us examples of people He calls righteous. These are the examples we should follow.
Our primary example will always be Christ, but it’s helpful to see imperfect people follow God’s way.
Our first relatable example of a righteous man is Abraham. Obviously, he was not perfect. We have a record of him lying more than once because of fear, but God called him righteous. Why, what did Abraham do to be considered righteous? He trusted God even when he was given very vague instructions. He let God lead.
“The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1, NLT). And Abraham did it, without hesitation. According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary, Abraham is known as the epitome of faith. They stated, “faith obeys God.”
Without our obedience, faith and trust are just words.
Abram, or Abraham (as he is later called), is an incredible example of what our faith can look like. Just like us, he was an imperfect human, and God called him righteous. “And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Genesis 15:6, NLT). Abram did question God about some things and had doubts about others, just as we do, but God focused on Abraham’s faith. He focuses on ours, too.
Another imperfect example of what our faith should look like is Moses. Unlike Abraham, Moses had many questions and doubts about God’s call on His life. The two characters are different. But their similarities are what we can pay attention to and learn from.
Both of these men trusted God enough to obey Him even though they made mistakes. They both invited God into their lives, and they let Him lead! They both had times of weakness, but they also had victory in the Lord. Victory that is remembered to this day! (There are several more Old Testament Characters who fit this model.)
Sometimes my faith is strong and confident. I am so sure of what God is going to do that there is not an ounce of fear in my body. I love those times, but more often, I experience fear and doubt. You can relate. The good news is that, just as with Abraham and Moses, God counts our obedience as faith!
Every struggle we experience when we follow God is worth it!
How to Trust God with Your New Year
I’ve learned that trusting God comes from knowing Him better. You can’t sincerely trust someone you don’t know. Back in my youth, I knew I needed to put my life in God’s hands, but I was too afraid. Maybe there is a part of you that’s afraid?
Now, as a seasoned follower of Christ, I wonder why I ever feared trusting God. The answer is, because I didn’t really know Him. I knew He was real, I knew about Him, but I didn’t know Him personally. God invites each of us into a personal relationship with Him, but we have to say yes.
The more we know Him, the more we trust Him. The more we trust Him, the more we will obey Him. The more we obey Him, the more we’ll see Him move. It all starts with the realization that God has the best plans for our lives and this world. Only when we submit to Him do we begin to understand this life.
After we have surrendered to the idea that God knows best, our next natural step is to discern His way. We can learn in church, Bible study, podcasts, etc, but we must study His Word. It’s a non-negotiable, because without His Word, we have no foundation of truth. His Word tells us to be alert, to test the Spirits and stay away from false prophets (1 John 4:1). We can’t do any of that if we don’t know true from false.
It’s possible you may feel overwhelmed at the thought of letting God lead your year. I get it. Letting God lead requires not only a surrender of will but time. If you’re like me, you might obsess over time. Perhaps you feel like there's never enough time to accomplish all that you wish to do. I know that feeling well.
When time stresses me out, I do my best to remember that God lives outside of time. (Psalm 90:2) He knows all things and sees all things. Then I remember, I only need to do the things He desires of me, no one else.
I invite you to take your New Year's goal list and present it to the Lord. Write down everything you invest your time in every week. Speak to the Lord and confess with your mouth that you want His will to be done in your life. Ask God if there are any changes He wants you to make to your schedule or commitments. Thank Him for guiding your steps, and praise Him for His faithfulness.
I pray that we will confidently take our plans before the Lord and invite Him in. He loves us! I pray that we can apply our faith with obedience to what He says. When we invite God into our New Year, we are essentially clearing our plate, wiping our slate clean, and asking God to fill it. You couldn’t ask for a better fresh start.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Milko
Vanessa Luu is a wife, mother, and faith-based writer. She speaks and writes to believers to encourage them to live authentically with God.
