Afterwords -- 2024 and beyond
"...I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose...'" (Isaiah 46:9-10)
December 30, 2023
Dear friends,
So, once again we stand at the threshold of a new year. There really isn't much difference between December 31 and January 1, but this is the time we tend to ponder what the upcoming year will hold. The possibilities seem boundless, but the prospects often look bleak. Whether personal challenges, family problems, political upheaval, or the international landscape of wars and rumors of wars, we may be tempted to be anxious and gloomy.
Recently, I read these words in Isaiah, chapter 46...
“Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save." (46:3-4)
"...remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it." (46:9-11)
So then, whether we face aging, or health crises (closer to home) -- or the fear of wars and violence (around the world) -- God calls us to an assured confidence in his greatness and goodness. He says, "Listen to me... remember..." The Lord carries us in his arms, and he is guiding history with his infinite wisdom and power. God's sovereignty and Fatherly care is something that will not change as we cross over from 2023 to 2024, ...or beyond. Thankfully, the Lord does not change from year to year!
REJOICE EVERMORE! In the HBO miniseries, John Adams, the main character played by Paul Giamatti, says to his son in later years, "Your mother always said I never delighted enough in the mundane, but now I find if I look at even the smallest things, my imagination begins to roam the Milky Way." I loved this video clip from the series, and I resonate with its sentiment.
I am sure there was creative license in those words, but John Adams himself did write in a letter to Benjamin Rush in 1807, "But notwithstanding all, Saint Paul and Dr Barrow have taught me to rejoice evermore, and be content. This Phrase 'rejoice evermore' shall never be out of my heart, memory or mouth again as long as I live, if I can help it."
I believe that "rejoicing in the Lord" covers all things that come from the Lord -- great and small, earth and heaven, past, present, and future, every salvation blessing, and even our trials: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." (Philippians 4:4) In the photo above are some of the small, mundane things I saw in the woods of eastern Fauquier County recently. From top left, clockwise: Coralberry (Indian Currant) (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus); Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides); Greenbrier berries (Smilax rotundifolia); and American beech (Fagus grandifolia). All of these are native, indigenous plants to Virginia, and they show forth God's glory in creation. I for one enjoy delighting in the mundane.
BIBLE READING IN 2024. This is the perfect time to think about how you will read the Bible in the upcoming year. Regular intake of the Word -- engaging the mind, heart, and will, under the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit -- is vital to our walk with the Lord.
-- Canadian pastor Tim Challies writes about the different ways to read the Bible, such as, slower (towards more intimacy) or faster (towards greater familiarity). Both approaches are valid. I alternate my own pace from year to year.
-- Here are some various reading plans. And here are some of the Bible reading guides I prepared for the M'Cheyne reading schedule over 2020-21.
-- Crossway, publishers of the ESV translation, also offer podcasts of Bible reading.
READING, WRITING, AND THE WONDER OF LANGUAGE.
-- "Language has a close relation to the Trinitarian character of God. In fact, the Trinitarian character of God is the deepest starting point for understanding language." (Vern Poythress) Dr. Poythress has made his book, In the Beginning Was the Word, available free as a PDF download here.
-- "Names are powerful realities. But one thing names do is abridge. They shrink down. In haste, they label realities larger and deeper than themselves — things too wild to be caged by consonants and vowels." (Greg Morse) Read "Reality Written in Cursive -- The Power of Christian Wordcraft" here.
-- From the fountain-pen-alternate-universe: VT alum Brian Goulet talks about the hottest new fountain pens of 2023. (Caveat: many of these pens are luxury-level. I do not own any of these, except the Lamy Al-Star, an excellent pen made in Germany. If you are starting out with fountain pens you might want to check out the TWSBI Eco.)
FINAL QUOTE. "The title deed to this world does not belong to dictators, to communism, nor to the devil, but to God." (Vance Havner)
That's it for this last week of 2023! Happy new year to you!
Sandy
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.