A NEW YEAR
At the start of a New Year, we are filled with expectations for the months ahead, and we make our New Year’s resolutions, which are meant to guide our actions and help us realise our expectations. One popular New Year resolution is to shed the extra pounds we put on after our indulgence at Christmas! Others may include passing an important exam, winning souls, investing in a property, getting married, travelling abroad, writing a book or walking closely with God. Inevitably, a few months into the year, we lose sight of our resolutions and just go with the flow.
If we want our expectations to be met, we have to do the work to acquire them. This may include study and research, saving money, mending a broken relationship, moving on from a bad experience or fasting more. Having done what is in our power to do, Psalm 37:4–5 says: “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” To delight ourselves in God is to know Him and obey His commandments in the Holy Bible. King Solomon loved God, like his father David, and showed his love by sacrificing one thousand burnt offerings to Him. This display of love and gratitude got God’s attention, and when He asked Solomon what he desired, he asked for an understanding heart to judge Israel, thereby committing his way to the Lord. God gave him his desire, and because God was pleased with his request, He added riches and honour, and King Solomon became known both for his wisdom and riches (1 Kings 3:3–13).
Apostle Paul had a great desire to preach the gospel, and in many of his letters to the churches of his day, he requested prayer for opportunities to do so (Colossians 4:2–4; Ephesians 6:18–20; 2 Thessalonians 3:1–2). God honoured his request and, on one occasion, saved the ship he was travelling in just so that he could preach the gospel in Caesar’s palace (Acts 27:21–25).
Here are some of my resolutions for 2025: To stand out for God, not to blend in with the crowd; 2025 will be my “due season.” God will announce me Himself; I will have access to His divine resources for my projects; God will be my Stone of help; I will operate with the language of owners—“I am,” “I can,” and “I possess.” I will review them at the end of the year to see how well I did, with God’s help.
God gives us the desires of our heart when we delight in Him, but sometimes, in His mercy, He withholds our desires. We must remember that all we know is our desire for the present; our desire for the future is unknown to us. Many times, what I have desired at a particular time, has turned out not to be so desirable months or years later, and I have been secretly grateful that God did not give me the desire of my heart at the time I prayed for it.
God knows what we need and will always do the best for us, even if it means not giving us our present desire. One thing is for certain—God will not give us a desire that will move us out of His will for us.
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