Trust in the Lord with all your heart...
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)
I wonder how you’re feeling at the beginning of this new year? I know that for me, December whizzes past in a flurry of activity! I’m busy at work, busy with events, busy getting ready for Christmas! It’s only when Christmas is over and January begins, that I have time to pause and reflect on the year gone by and to look ahead to the new year.
When I look back on the year just gone, there have been moments of joy and moments that have been difficult, seasons that have felt like an endless hike up a long, long hill. There are things I’m glad I did and things I wish had gone differently. There are times I felt close to God, and times I felt like I was stumbling around in the dark. Maybe you feel that too? But in all of these times, God was there — steady, patient and kind. Sometimes we only realise how God’s been at work when we finally pause and pay attention
A new year gives us the opportunity to lay down what has weighed heavily on our hearts. Sometimes that means releasing disappointment, loosening our grip on unmet expectations, or offering forgiveness where it’s long overdue. Letting go is not forgetting — it’s trusting that God can redeem what we surrender. We can choose to say “Lord, I’m giving this to You again.” And He meets us in that place — not with frustration, but with grace.
From reflecting on the year that has passed, we can then turn to look forward. While the world urges us to set new year’s resolutions, Jesus invites us into something deeper. Instead of asking, “What do I want to accomplish this year?” we ask, “Lord, what do You desire for me in this next season?”. The beautiful thing is, He doesn’t rush us. He doesn’t expect perfection. He just invites us to walk with Him — one small step at a time. I can be very impatient in this! I want to have answers and plan my own journey but I’m learning (slowly!) that God’s timing is not my own, His will is not a hidden puzzle I must solve immediately. It is a daily invitation to walk closely with Him.
We don’t know what this year will hold, but we do know the One who walks ahead of us. Because He is the one directing our paths — even when we can’t see far ahead — then we can move forward this year with hope; trusting Him for what’s to come.
My prayer is that this year, you feel God’s nearness in the ordinary moments. That you sense His guidance in the decisions you’re facing. And that you discover, day by day, the beautiful purpose He’s already prepared for you.