Last Word – Thrive

My ”Word” for this past year (2021) has been Thrive, the aim was not just to survive the year, but thrive in and throughout the year.

So in order to do that I set myself monthly reflections and goals to achieve that, things which would help thrive that month, things like books to read, bible studies to complete, relationships to work on, things to pray through, etc.

So as I reflect back, have I thrived? Have I done more than survive?

I think so, to a certain extent anyway! I don’t in anyway want that to sound smug or prideful, but rather it is thanks to God for His sustaining, life-flowing power that the praise is given.

In a year that would have been difficult anyway, it was even more important to keep my conscious contact with God going and to draw up from His life giving source so that I could still flourish and bear fruit. I have survived those difficulties of Lockdowns and restrictions on social life and contacts and in many ways I have thrived and my knowledge and trust in God have increased by His grace and faithful hand on my life.

As I have seen the Sovereignty of God over those world events which have impacted us all, to a greater or lesser extent whether directly or indirectly, I have come to a greater awe of God and realised in a deeper way that really we are mere mortals and have no control over those things. And as I have come to that understanding and have again and again had to hand over those ‘out of my control’ situations over to God, that has deepened my trust and strengthened my faith.

Sometimes God places us in hard circumstance in order to put our roots down deep, so that we will not just survive, but flourish in the year of drought. For many of us that is what this year has been for us, but with our roots down deep we can keep on flourishing, keep on thriving.

They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.

Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

Psalm 1:3

What about you? How well have you survived the year? Have you thrived? Where are you giving thanks for God’s sustaining power?

Advent 4 – Peace

Yet in the dark streets shineth

the everlasting Light;

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight.

When the light comes and pierces our darkness, when we are given hope so that our fears are relieved we find joy, and when we meet with Jesus we have peace.

Peace

Peace which the world can’t give.

Peace which the world can’t take away.

Our streets may still be dark, there may still be fears lurking in our lives and hearts, but as we allow the light of Jesus to shine in those dark places of our lives, as we allow Him to take our fears from all the years, as we allow Him entrance into our lives we find His peace.

Not the peace which is fleeting, not the peace based on an absence of conflict, but a peace with God when our hearts are fixed on Him. A peace which passes understanding and which keeps our minds on Him.

Do you know that peace this week? Where do you need to rest your burdens down to find that peace? What fears do you need to let go of to let the peace of Jesus fill your heart?

My prayer for you this week is that you will find that peace of mind and heart in Jesus in the midst of your day and week and years.

Advent 3 – Joy

When we have been bogged down by our fears the last thing we feel is joy. We feel trapped, we feel down, we feel darkness, we feel despair, we feel hopeless.

Yet in the dark streets shineth

the everlasting Light;

The Hope and fears of all the years

Are met in Thee tonight”

But when we are delivered of those fears relief comes, a lightness comes and joy comes! All those fears from all those years are met in Jesus.

Joy

Joy Comes

Joy comes with the relief, joy comes with the hope. All our fears from all the years are met in Jesus, they are come together in Jesus and He deals with them, He satisfies them, He relieves us of them.

Jesus meets us right where we are, He relieves us from the burden of those fears and brings joy. Joy which no one can take away from us, no-one can rob us of the joy which Jesus brings.

Have you had the burdens of your heart lifted, have you had your fears relieved? Then rejoice, know that deep down joy in Jesus.

My prayer for you this week is that you will know relief from you fears and that you will find joy in Jesus.

Advent 2 – Hope

Yet in the dark streets shineth
the everlasting light;
The Hope and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight

This Advent week we looking at HOPE.

Hope for the “fears of all the years”.

Fears of all the years – that is a lot of fears, over a lot of years!

Even in our own lives imagine if all our fears from all our years were written in one long list, how long would that list be? Some years there may be more entries than others, but still, I know for me that would be a very long list.

YET

Yet Jesus

Yes Jesus is the hope for all those fears which we carry, sometimes we carry them from one year to the other, Yet Jesus.

Jesus is our hope. Our hope is placed in Jesus for our saving, our hope is placed in the fact that Jesus died for us, He has opened a way to God for us, He has gone into heaven before us to prepare a place for us and He will come back again to take us to our forever home.

So we don’t place our hope in the temporal, material, dispensable, fleeting things of this world, but we place our hope in the eternal, the everlasting, the imperishable, the truth and the trustworthy things of God.

Jesus alone is the answer to our hope and fears of all our years, let us place our hope in Him today, giving Him our fears and know assuredly that He will come back for a second advent when He will remove all those fears and tears from all for all time.

My prayer for you this week is that you will find hope for all your fears in the midst of your years.