2020… it seems just a minute ago we were all holding our breath at 11:59 pm, 1999 on the brink of Y2K when the world was going to end. And then it didn’t. Whew. Now, all of a sudden, in what seems like a blink, it’s 20 years later. The years have a way of going faster the older we get. The anticipation of a new year has most of us wondering what the coming months will bring. We hope for something better than the previous year and set our sights on making positive changes. However, do we stop to think about how to embrace the day in front of us? We think about planning for our futures, but are we missing today in the planning? As I was writing my goals for the new year and thinking about future plans, I found myself becoming impatient that I couldn’t just hurry up and get to the end to see how it turns out. I must admit that one of my character flaws is wanting to know the end before I begin – will the journey be worth my time? Will it have a good outcome? God doesn’t always allow us to see the full picture of how things will come together. Sometimes all we get to see is a piece of the puzzle. Rahab certainly had no idea that she would be listed in the genealogy of Jesus! (Matthew 1:5) Learning to enjoy the journey is just as valuable as setting a plan to get there.
One of my goals for this year is to recognize and appreciate the blessings of the day. We realize the value in this as we read in the Old Testament how the Lord provided for the needs of His people daily. In Exodus 16, manna from heaven was provided as a daily blessing to the Israelites while they were in the desert. They had to learn to lean on and trust God daily. If they collected more than a day’s worth of manna, they woke up to a smelly, worm infested set of leftovers – yuck! In the New Testament, this sentiment is echoed within the model prayer that Jesus prayed, “Give us each day our daily bread…” (Luke 11:3). In Luke 12 Jesus reinforces this idea when he tells the disciples that God is aware of their daily needs.
22 “Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!’”
Luke 12:22-24 (ESV)
I cannot fathom the power and grace of God to know each of our daily needs, but I am so glad that He does. The ability to make plans for the future is only made possible through the blessings of today. May we always remember that what we have in front of us is enough.
33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 6:33-34 (ESV)
Giving God the Glory 