Life Reflections at the End of the Year

Soon 2009 will be but a memory and become a part of the mosaic of the past. It always seems strange to me when a year passes out of my present radar of experience. Where do years go? What happens to the time that was the year past? Alas, I digress from my original intent.

As I finish a year and begin a new year, I have many wonderful Christian truths that serve as an anchor for my soul and the solace of my heart. Of these, three great mountains of truth rise to bear witness to me and to comfort me in my moments of anxious distress and uncertainty.

First, there is the great veracity and liveliness of the holy Scriptures. I have never found the Scriptures lacking in any substance of value. They are absolutely true, and they are the means by which we come to know saving truth and enter into that truth in a personal way. The Scriptures teach us of the nature and decrees of God, and the Scriptures guide our feet into the paths of holiness and Christian discipleship. Many times the Scriptures have been the balm of Gilead to my hurting soul. Many times my aching and weary heart has been renewed by the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit blowing through the canyons of Scripture.

Second, the hurts and pains of the Christian's life are but a reflection of the great cosmic struggle between Satan and God. Satan would attack Christians because Christians are God's beloved people. It is very encouraging to know on which side of this struggle we are. Christians bear the mark of Christ, and they may even bear the marks of persecution for Christ. Ours may be a journey that is rife with disappointment and sorrow, but in all of life's vicissitudes we overwhelmingly conquer in and through Christ, because we belong to Christ. Christians rejoice in the Lord and in the glory of the Lord. We do so because we are His.

Third, the providence of God is my most beloved comfort of all. There is no greater help to the hurting Christian than the sovereign providence of God. The sovereignty of God is absolute, and He asserts His sovereign power to watch over His own people. Even Satan must bow before the sovereign God of heaven and earth. Even in the darkest of days, when Satan seems to do his worst, God is able with wisdom and grace to weave patterns of glory with threads that sparkle with His love. The Christian can and must trust God fully, and they will breathe the air of hope. And biblical hope never disappoints.

The power and life of the Scriptures, the loving and victorious relationship with God, and the sovereign providence of God are the three pillars upon which the weakest Christian can lean with certainty and assurance. As we face the new year, let every child of God rejoice in the knowledge that the darkness of the unknown is brightened by the promise of God for His people. Thanks be unto God!