How do you picture the new year as it stretches out before you? Do you see an unknown path, twisting and turning in obscurity, old troubles and new worries jumping out at you from the darkness? Well, that is partly true. No one, scripture tells us, can know what tomorrow will bring. We just don’t know every detail of our future. But still, that is not the whole story.
God talks a lot about paths in scripture. And He gives very different word pictures of our life paths as believers. Let’s think about a few of these pictures.
Here’s one from the book of Proverbs: “But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18). Can you see yourself on an upward path, headed into dazzling light, each day brighter than the one before? And another one from the mouth of Job, as he struggles with the justice of God and makes progress, slowly but surely. “But He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10). Even on the darkest days, Job knows that God is working for his good. God is not a detached “prime mover” who stands back and observes the chaos. He is in love with His creation, and powerfully at work in each of His children, infinitely aware of our needs.
And here’s another comfort. “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand. “(Psalm 37:23,24) How about that? Can’t you just feel the hand of God steadying you as you walk along your path? But the best part is what waits at the end of our path. “You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into Glory” (Psalm 73:24). Here’s more: “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness. (Psalm 17:15).What an incredible hope we have in Christ; changed forever into His glorious image! What a future for the children of God!
Meanwhile, He lays out the path of our days. He lights the way for us and walks with us through every situation, bearing our griefs and carrying our sorrows. As our pastor shared with us this morning, He is there to instruct us and teach us in the way we should go, and He counsels us with His loving eye upon us (Psalm 32:8). Don’t know what to do? All you gotta do is ask! Sometimes the best prayer we can pray is one word: “Help!” He always answers that one.
The prophet Jeremiah reminds us that we don’t have what it takes to control our lives “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Jer. 10:23 . Yes, that’s right. We don’t have what it takes to manage our lives. That’s why Jesus went to the Cross for us. Now we are free to do all that He has planned for us and to live in the fullness of His provision and joy.