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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends! We have together crossed the threshold into the long anticipated year of 2020!
I wonder what you are feeling today, the first day of this new year… this new decade!?
Like a fresh snow, the future lays before us untouched. . .what do you see as you look out on your future?
More importantly, what does God see as He looks at your future, unknown to you, but seen clearly by Him?
Wherever you were in the world last night, the sky was likely lit up around midnight, with man-made fireworks celebrating the arrival of 2020. In Sydney, Australia, nearly 1 million people were expected to line the famous harbor and in Times Square, New Year city of course, people from around the world gather every New Year’s Eve to watch the ‘ball drop’. Through technology, via your TV or the internet, or even your cell phone, no matter where you were last night, you probably had opportunity to see the world welcome 2020. So… what did you observe? Listen to Psalm 19. . .
“The heaven’s declare the glory of God…”
Here’s a question for this January 1st morning. . .are you and I more amazed by the spectacular man-made celebration with fireworks, or the daily reality of God’s remarkable, breath-taking, display of His Majesty?
Consider this:
The world counted down last night, because TIME, by God’s design, is exact, predictable, unchangeable and relentless. Are you amazed by the miracle of God created TIME?
The world looked up into the sky last night, and after the fireworks had died down, how amazed were we at God’s spectacular CELESTIAL DISPLAY… the moon, stars, planets, constellations, galaxies… which God created millennia ago, and they are all exactly as He designed them and where He positioned them?
“The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech, night after night they display His knowledge.” (Psalm 19:1,2)
Let’s begin 2020 together right there. . .
It’s true… the sky that we see with our naked eye, and that which we see with huge telescopes, and even the heavens invisible to the human eye but visible to God… that place where God, angels and all who have trusted in Jesus, and preceded us in death are gathered, all of those heavens declare the glory, the majesty of God!
Do I hear “amen” from you? It all exists ONLY because of God and His desire, His design, and His creative and sustaining power! I never tire of reading Genesis 1 and the miracle of creation. And I love Psalm 19 which is why we’re beginning 2020 there. How about you, my friends? Do these verses draw you to a worship encounter with God?
“There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Ps. 19:3,4) This is a powerful and important statement. God’s handiwork, His majesty, His glory is seen by anyone who simply looks up, from anywhere on the face of the earth, day or night, and contemplates, considers the wonder of what we see in the sky, and the God who made it happen!
The Prophet Isaiah says a similar thing when he challenges everyone, anyone to “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hosts one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing… Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom…” (Isaiah 40:26-31).
As you and I step into the unknown of 2020, the prophet Isaiah, from 2600 years ago, calls us to look up and take confidence from what we see! Almighty, Creator God, who made that sky, also made you and me, according to His sovereign desire and plan, and He holds our lives in His hands. We can trust Him and His understanding of us, and His plan for working our lives into His global purposes in 2020! Do you agree? Now think about the implications of that. . .God leading you and me to be part of His global purpose in 2020!
The Psalmist says to us, on this first day of 2020, ‘look up and listen‘! If the stars, moon, sun, planets, clouds and everything we see when we look up, could speak… what are they saying to us, humanity, so caught up in trying to control our destiny, trying to live our lives according to our own agendas?
As you look ahead into 2020 what are your ambitions, your dreams, your goals? One year from now, what will you want to see when you look back over YOUR 2020? Likely you already have some plans in place. Here’s the more important question for today: How important to you are God’s plans for 2020? And when your ambitions, your dreams, your plans seem to run counter to God’s plans, what will you do in 2020?
May I add one more Psalm to our New Years Day reflections this morning? “From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind. From His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth. He who forms the hearts of all, considers everything they do… The eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love… We wait in hope for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.” (Psalm 33:13-22) Isn’t that a wonderful perspective on this, the first day of a new year, and a new decade? What will it take for this to remain our attitude all day, everyday in 2020?
I wonder if you will find a few moments today, to write down your thoughts on this January 1, 2020?
What does your heart say as you look up and consider what you saw last night, and what you see this morning, as you begin 2020? What does your mind and heart want to say to God?
What do the ears of your heart and mind hear God speaking to you this morning? Would you consider putting whatever you write, this New Year’s morning, in a safe place, so you can look back one year or 10 years from now, and look at it from the perspective of your future? If you don’t have a journal where you write such personal thoughts, today is a great day to begin one! Especially thoughts that you feel come directly from God to you!
Now in closing today…
Yesterday I mentioned I’d give you a brief “Vision 2020” for the“Walking with Jesus” ministry.
Those who partner closely with me in this, believe God has birthed this ministry to fill several needs. A major part of what we believe God desires for 2020 is an APP for “Walking with Jesus” so it can be received by the English speaking peoples in third world countries who do not have computers.More than a month of work has been invested in development of this APP which was submitted to GOOGLE for approval a few days ago.
Here’s a link that they’ve produced which will give you a glimpse of our proposed APP, if you are interested:
My friends, as we close today… Psalm 19:1-4; Isaiah 40:26-31; Psalm 33:13-20 all call us to use some of this first day of 2020 aligning our hearts with the heart of God. Tomorrow, we’ll look at those next few verses of Psalm 19 which will serve as guardrails in 2020 keeping us on track with Jesus.
Oh Lord Jesus, we pause today, January 1, 2020 to worship… and to contemplate and compare what hopes we have for 2020 and what You have in Your heart for us in this new year. . .
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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