As we close the door on another year we can look back and say a huge Amen to this part of Scripture. We don’t know what the future holds, and I must say I am glad about that. There was a New Year when each of us were unaware of how our world would get rocked. You know that year. The year when a parent’s worst nightmare became our truth. We know life is always changing, but this change, we prayed would never enter into our lives. We made our plans and lists and resolutions that we wanted to see take place and the loss of our child was not on that list. It was good to set goals and to have a master plan. I know most of what happens to us throughout the years are often things we did not plan, but God still knew. Good or bad we are reminded in Psalm 23:6 that surely His goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives. It is easy to witness the goodness and mercy in our lives when we are overflowing with blessings. How do we see His goodness and mercies following us when our world is falling apart? The Lord not only goes before us, but He also follows us. He takes care of all the hurts and disappointments of the past that try to destroy us. He forgives us for all our past mistakes and takes care of all the enemies that are in the rear trying to pounce on us. This last year’s hurt cannot destroy your soul. The Lord’s love will follow you into the New Year.
So as we move into a New Year with His goodness and love we need to remember the future is in His hands. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. What we do know is the one who holds tomorrow wants what is best for us. We quote Jeremiah 29:11 so often that I think sometimes we don’t really glean the promise that verse holds. The Lord has a plan for us. His plan is for you to prosper and to give you hope and a future. Did you catch that? He mentions hope before future. William Barclay says it best, “A man can face anything so long as he has hope, for then he is not walking to the night, but to the dawn. So let’s pick up our hope and march into the future and see what He has planned for us.
