Sunday is the first day of the New Year. Will you be making any resolutions?
Psalm 63 is one of my favorites. It begins with these words, “O God, you are my God; early will I seek thee; my soul thirsts for thee… to see thy power and thy glory.”
When we seek God early, we see and experience God’s power and glory. Here are some thoughts on resolutions for a New Year.
Resolve to seek God early in the year.
The beginning of a New Year is more than turning the calendar from December 31, 2022 to January 1, 2023. It is an opportunity to look forward to a New Year filled with potential. And, trusting that God can make all the difference.
Here are three scriptures that speak to the “power and glory” that God can manifest in a New Year.
“I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind….. no more shall be the sound of weeping or the cry of distress….” (Isaiah 65:17-19)
I believe and trust that God in this “New Year” will remove the distresses that we have experienced in the “Old Year.”
“For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.”
Be glad, rejoice, and delight in what God will be doing if we seek him early in the year.
Resolve to seek God early in the day.
“O God, you are my God; early will I seek thee; my soul thirsts for thee… to see thy power and thy glory.”
I am sure you have heard these words referencing someone who “got out the wrong side of the bed” or started “on the wrong foot.” How we begin the morning is essential for the balance of the day.
Admiral William McRavan gave a commencement speech a few years ago at the University of Texas. It came to be known as “The Make Your Bed Speech.”
In part he said, “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.”
Yes, make your bed, then open your Bible and pray, “O God, you are my God; early will I seek thee; my soul thirsts for thee… to see thy power and thy glory.”
Another one of my favorite passages and the text for the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” is from the Old Testament Book of Lamentations, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)
What can you discover every morning? God mercies never end and great is God’s faithfulness!
After an exhausting day and night of ministry the Gospel of Mark tells us, “In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus went out to a deserted place and prayed.” Mark 1:35
Want to experience God’s power and glory? Seek God early in the day.
Finally, seek God early in our challenges and difficulties
Some of us go to God as a last resort rather than a first resource.
John Grimes and his wife Ethel were members of the church I served in New Jersey. They never attended. Our Deacons referred to them as “shut ins.” But I would see them periodically at the Shop Rite or the local bank. I would always invite them to church. John would answer, “Pastor, we have problems… once I get them resolved I will come to church.”
It always amazes me that people want to work it out their problems on their own rather than look to the ultimate power to bring about positive change.
The words of the Psalmist come to mind, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come. My help comes from the LORD.
(Psalm 121)
There is a four-letter word that is easy to spell but difficult to pronounce: “H e l p.”
“Do not be anxious,” Jesus said, “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. (Matthew 6:25)
Let us resolve to seek his kingdom early in the year, early in the day, and early in your difficulties.
“O God, you are my God; early will I seek thee; my soul thirsts for thee… to see thy power and thy glory”
Amen!