I cannot wait til 2020 is over….
Have you found yourself thinking this very thought? What
does that mean? I get it. Most people are tired of the things that have happened
in this calendar year. Covid, Political fighting, job loss, deaths of favorite
celebrities or politicians, deaths of loved ones and the list can go on and on.
But are these things CAUSED by the number of the YEAR on your CALENDAR??? Is 2020 out to get us all?
May I remind you that as the year 2019 ended, many people said something along these lines, “I can’t wait for 2019 to be over! Things
couldn’t possibly get worse than this!!” And “2020 is going to be great!” But
what happened? 2020 has been worse.
I think I understand the sentiment. As humans, we want to
understand how it is that so many bad things can happen in such a short period
of time. When we say, “I wish 2020 would hurry up and be over already,” we
really mean that we want bad things to stop happening so close together. And I
can totally relate. But at times, it seems as though people actually believe
that when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Day that things actually “start
over.” January 1st of the year is a great time to hit the imaginary
reset button, but is that the only day that we can do this?
A day is a day. A month is a month. A year is a year. What I
mean is that time passes a day at a time. There is nothing we can do to stop
it. We have no control over the big picture. All we can control is our reaction
to it. When bad things happen nationally, we need to remember that God is in
control. When bad things happen to us personally, it’s a little harder to control
our reactions. But guess what: God is in control of these things too.
Regarding God’s control of all things, Scripture tells us,
“Remember this and stand firm,
recall it to mind, you transgressors,
remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’” Isaiah 46:8-10 ESV
“Our God
is in the heavens;
he
does all that he pleases.” Psalm 115:3
ESV
“At the end of the days I,
Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me,
and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives
forever,
for his dominion is an everlasting
dominion,
and his kingdom endures from generation to
generation;
all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as
nothing,
and he does according to his will among the host
of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
and none can stay his hand
or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” Daniel 4:34-35 ESV
“I form light and create darkness;
I make well-being and create calamity;
I am the Lord, who does all these things.” Isaiah 45:7 ESV
“Who has spoken and it came to
pass,
unless the Lord has commanded it?
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that good and bad come?
Why should a living man complain,
a man, about the punishment of his sins?” Lamentations 3:37-39 ESV
God is in control of all things. There are so many more Bible
passages that teach this. And you know what? Things continue daily regardless
the number of the calendar year. Half of a calendar year can be absolutely wonderful--
filled with love, newborn babies, great weather, job promotions, you name it!
But the other half of a calendar year can be filled with misery-- broken
relationships, death, horrible weather, job loss, you name it… Which half of the year should you focus on? Which
half of the year will define that year for you? It could go either way, couldn’t
it?
King David once wrote,
“But I trust in you, O Lord;
I say, ‘You are my God.’
My times are in
your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my
persecutors!” Psalm 31:14-15 ESV
I encourage you to read the entire Psalm. Will you, along
with King David, trust in the Lord? This doesn’t mean that things will be easy.
Life can be incredibly hard. I’ve experienced much sorrow in my life, and from
an early age. But what gets me through it? It is God alone.
Friends, study the Bible. Learn the precious truth of God’s
grace in Jesus Christ. Learn to trust in him. Our times are in His hands. Remember,
God is all sovereign…
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