“To Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” Ephesians 3:20 NIV
“Place God at the center of your life, and you can be certain of His love and care always.”
My thoughts today are about “the gate of the year.”
Ahead is a new year, and we stand together at its edge – some fearfully, others hopefully. As 1939 drew to a close and England was at war, King George VI addressed his nation with these words of courage and encouragement, “I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown’ and he replied, ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand in the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way . . ‘” (The Gate of the Year, Minnie Louise Haskins, 1908)
King George closed with these words of his own, “And may that Almighty hand guide and uphold us all.” Those words are as true and relevant today as when written 100 years earlier. Put your hand in God’s, and be certain the Almighty God will guide and uphold you always!
You will often need to be reminded of how you can be certain in uncertain times. You are at the “gate of the year” that is preparing to unfold with experiences and accomplishments, as well as challenges yet unforeseen. The close of a year can feel a bit uncomfortable. What is past at least became familiar. What is ahead is still unforeseen and unknown. At such times – and they are not reserved merely for the annual change of calendar – you need to remember the things of which you can be sure.
Be sure about God, “who is able to do immeasurably more than all (you) ask or imagine.” Jesus gave this advice in His Sermon on the Mount, “Don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” Matthew 6:34 The Message. Don’t borrow from tomorrow’s concerns until you receive tomorrow’s strength. When my Mom was ill and not expected to live, the Lord spoke His Word quietly into my heart, “Your strength will equal your days.” Deuteronomy 33:25 NIV. I continue to find that true, as will you.
As I was growing up, I often heard my Mom singing these words, “Many things about tomorrow, I don’t seem to understand, but I know Who holds tomorrow and I know He holds my hand.” I am sure her songs at home and church helped shape my personal theology.
Be sure about this: with God at the center of your life, you can be certain of His love and care at all times. Some people live their lives struggling and fearful with all that is yet unknown to them. Others, though with lives of similar circumstance, choose to live with courage and confidence.
“We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let it go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God.” Hebrews 6:17-19 The Message. Hope is ever the anchor of the soul, when that hope holds firmly to God’s character and Word. See Hebrews 6:19/Psalm 42:1-11.
Minnie Haskins concluded her poem with this certainty, “So I went forth and finding the Hand of God, Trod gladly into the night . . So heart be still! What need our human life to know, If God has comprehension?” Now that’s a truth I can live with!
My prayer for you today is: walk bravely through this gate of the year holding God’s hand.