Do we remember God?
January has always been the month to start fresh. We make New Year’s resolutions. We try to break bad habits and adopt new, healthy ones. We aspire to a better life. But I began to wonder: Are we planning to let God guide us in the new year?
Who better than God to ask for guidance on our goals? We’re looking for blog posts and Instagram Reels, but how about going straight to the Father? God is the very source of our existence, and deep down we know it. But we are very successful in turning away from this truth. I know I’ve been guilty of this many times. I’m too afraid to hear what God has to say. What if it’s too scary? What if it was hard?
We cannot let these fears get in the way of God’s perfect plans for us. If we haven’t already, let’s invite him into this new year. Entrust him with your plans and desires and trust him to guide your steps. He will!
Historically, humanity has been more successful in moving away from God than in moving closer to Him. We can see this theme in the Old and New Testaments, and we still see it today, but do not despair. This diagnosis does not need to be terminal.
When we let God take control of our lives, we can be assured of two things. His ways will be contrary to the ways of the world, and we will be exactly where we are supposed to be, and we will do exactly what we are supposed to do. I don’t know about you, but this truth excites me!
Our fair 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. From Genesis to Revelation, we have been given examples of how wicked humanity is, but God has also given us examples of people He calls righteous. These are the examples we should follow.
Our main example will always be Christ, but it is helpful to see imperfect people following God’s way.
Our first relevant example of a righteous man is Abraham. Obviously he wasn’t perfect. We know he lied more than once out of fear, but God called him righteous. Why, what did Abraham do to be considered righteous? He trusted God even when given very vague instructions. He let God lead.
“The LORD said to Abram, “Leave your native land, your family, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1NLT). And Abraham did it, without hesitation. According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary, Abraham is known as the embodiment of faith. They declared, “Faith obeys God.”
Without our obedience, faith and trust are just words.
Abram, or Abraham (as he would later be called), is an incredible example of what our faith can look like. Just like us, he was an imperfect human being and God called him righteous. “And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him righteous because of his faith” (Genesis 15:6NLT). Abram did question God about some things and had doubts about others, just like us, but God focused on Abraham’s faith. It also focuses on ours.
Moses is another imperfect example of what our faith should look like. Unlike Abraham, Moses had many questions and doubts about God’s calling on his life. The two characters are different. But we can pay attention to their similarities and learn from them.
These two 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. A victory that we still remember today! (There are several other Old Testament characters who fit this pattern.)
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 moments, but more often I feel fear and doubt. You can understand. The good news is that, just like Abraham and Moses, God considers our obedience to be faith!
Every struggle we experience as we follow God is worth it!
How to Trust God in Your New Year
I learned that trusting God comes from knowing Him better. You can’t sincerely trust someone you don’t know. In my youth, I knew I had to put my life in God’s hands, but I was too afraid. Maybe there is a part of you that is afraid?
Now, as a seasoned follower of Christ, I wonder why I was always afraid to trust God. The answer is that I didn’t really know him. I knew he was real, I knew him, but I didn’t know him personally. God invites each of us into a personal relationship with Him, but we must 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 will see Him move. It all starts with realizing that God has the best plans for our lives and for this world. It is only when we submit to Him that we begin to understand this life.
Once we have surrendered to the idea that God knows best, our natural next step is to discern His way. We can learn in church, through Bible study, through podcasts, etc., but we must study His Word. This is non-negotiable, because without His Word we have no basis of truth. His Word tells us to be vigilant, test the Spirits and stay away false prophets (1 John 4:1). We can’t do any of this if we don’t know what’s true and what’s false.
You may feel overwhelmed about letting God lead your year. I understand. Letting God lead requires not only a surrender of will, but also time. If you’re like me, you might be obsessed with time. Maybe you feel like there’s never enough time to accomplish everything you want to do. I know this 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 that I only need to do the things He desires of me, no one else.
I invite you to take your list of New Year’s goals and present it to the Lord. Write down everything you invest your time in each week. Speak to the Lord and confess with your mouth that you want His will to be done in your life. Ask God if He wants you to make any changes to your schedule or commitments. Thank Him for guiding your steps and praise Him for His faithfulness.
I pray that we will confidently present our plans to the Lord and invite Him in. He loves us! I pray that we can apply our faith in obedience to what He says. When we invite God into our new year, we are essentially emptying our plate, wiping our slate clean, and asking God to fill it. We 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.