CLOSING OUT
Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light. After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them. (John 12:36 NLT)
The year of our Lord, 2021 is closing out and will never be seen again. We can watch reruns and remember whatever we want. Google will have it along with many other search engines on the internet, but it will still be gone. We will enter the year of our Lord, 2022.
It seems like yesterday we were hearing that when the calendar turned from 1999, life as we know it would never be the same. Funny thing every day affords us the same opportunity to close out the past and behold a new thing.
How many things hold you back? How many things from behind hinder us from looking forward? Oftentimes we can find ourselves saying, “I will be glad when this day is over.” Then we just start going over and over the thing we wished was over! Years later that thing is still on our minds. When will we close the deal and leave them behind?
Believe me, I know that the temptation is to say, “That is easy for you to say, you just don’t know what it is like.” I know that I don’t know, but I do know that Jesus knows about it all. Why do we wait to take it to Him? If He tells us that old things pass away; why don’t we take Him up on it?
How many people will close out 2021 without knowing Jesus? I must be honest with you and say that I sometimes fail to think about that in those terms! When I do, it is mind numbing. I need to stop for a bit and just pray.
Lord, we pray for one more to come to you and start anew. We pray for freedom from those things that steal from us. We pray for those who are hurting to know you, our healer. We pray for wisdom and boldness to help the helpless to the helper. We pray for the hopeless to meet you, our hope. We pray that we would represent you in a way that draws people to your light.
Lord help us to trust in the light! We know where we are going. Help us to keep going. Help us to press on in such a way as to draw others to you.
We have time to advance Your kingdom before the year closes out. Help us to move into the year of our Lord 2022 with a running start; moving ahead with you so far that old things really can pass away.
We care about the past; we just do not care to have it rob us of our future or the future of those that are depending on us. Give us eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to understand the greatness of your love. Truly there is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain!