“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8
Sisters in Christ,
A new year is upon us, and though we may have big plans for it, we really have no idea what may come our way in 2024! The Bible says, “a man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9, NKJV). I remember back when 2020 began, we all had our sights set on a year of 20/20 vision and taking forward steps to our best year yet. So many times, we have hearts full of plans for the future, but how often do we reset our hearts to God’s plan for our futures?
Of course we want God’s best for our lives, or at least we do in theory. I’ve got to be honest though that I usually have my plans mapped out and prayerfully ask God to bless them into fruition. As a checklist-making, schedule-following mama, it’s so convenient for me to want what I think is best, and sometimes I can even try to convince myself those things I want must be God’s plans for me. I love David’s prayer in Psalm 139:23-24 that says:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if
there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”
David was a man after God’s own heart, and as such he constantly asked God to redirect his heart to the Lord’s way. A way that is everlasting and good, a way that endures and is led by the God who has always been and will always be. King David knew how fickle, anxious, and wicked his heart could get, so he chose to seek God and ask for His trying and the redirecting of his heart.
The seasons, trials, and even values of this world change so quickly from year to year and even day to day. It can almost feel like whiplash to witness the trends and headlines bounce back and forth to what is right or wrong, currently in or out. But through all the inconsistency of this world, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is still the same God He has always been. The God of creation, the Alpha and Omega, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Almighty and Everlasting God, the One who Sees, the Lord of Hosts is unchanging and ever present in times of need. “He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable” (Isaiah 40:28).
May we pray Psalm 25:4-5 over our sisters this month and this year: “Make me to know Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day long.” Be blessed in His ways this year and always!
In His grace,
Jaime Angel