Well, it is the beginning of a new year, and a time when many of us have good intentions to spend some time seeking God’s guidance for the year ahead. But to be honest, I often do not turn my good intentions into actual action in this area. This year, however, I did, and I wanted to share with you some tips I discovered in doing so. Trust me, it is never too late in the year to do this activity.
What am I talking about? Setting aside special time to spend with the Lord, seeking His guidance for the new year. It could be an hour, a morning, or even a day. The duration is not as important as the action of getting alone and spending focused time with God. This is a time to diligently seek the Lord’s guidance for the coming year:
Matthew 6:33 ESV But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.Jeremiah 29:13 ESV You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.Jeremiah 33:3 ESV Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.Use your journals, notes, and calendar from the past year to help you in the following steps. Write down notes in your journal as you go through this process. Don’t have one? Consider starting! It doesn’t have to be elaborate or overly detailed. It can be a Note on your phone (or use the new Journal app on iPhones), a file on your computer, or a paper journal. Whatever the format, the important thing is to take notes during this process. I wrote down notes using the following outline, and I encourage you to do the same.
So, let’s get started, as we “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14 NASB)
Reflect on the past yearSuccesses, growth and fun (as encouragement)Failures (as reminders of your dependence on God)Lessons learned (as reminders of opportunities for continued growth and maturity)Examples of God’s faithfulness in the past yearLook back and appreciate all that God has done for you in the past. We often do not detect God’s faithfulness to us in the present moment. But if we take time to look back, we can see (with the 20/20 vision of hindsight) that God brought many blessings that we did not notice, or did not attribute to Him. In many cases, as we reflect upon past situations, we also see that God brought good out of our challenging situations, or that in our disappointments, God was actually protecting us from misguided goals or desires that would in fact have been harmful to us if they were realized.Reflect on the new yearCurrent challengesThe triune Godhead upholds and sustains all life… including yours. God will sustain you through the challenges you are facing in the present.Heb 1:3a NASB And He [Jesus] is the radiance of His [God’s] glory and the exact representation [and expression and imprint] of His nature, and [Jesus] upholds all things [individually and collectively, including me] by the [mere utterance of the] word of His [miraculous force and] power. (amplifications based on the Greek words of the text, and the context of the chapter)Remember: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 MKJV)Needs Armed with the assurance of God’s faithfulness to us in the past, it helps us to then look to the future with confidence that He will continue to guide and protect us, keeping our ultimate best interests in mind. So, list your needs and ask God for provision to meet these needs in the coming year.Psalm 34:10 ESV The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.Wants You are a child of God. Do not be shy of asking your heavenly Father to fulfill your wants. He knows what is good for you, and will respond accordingly.Matthew 7:7-8 ESV Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.Psalms 84:11 NLT For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.GoalsAsk God to help you formulate some goals for this year, and write them down, based on what God is putting on your heart during this time with Him. They may be related to activities associated with ministry, family, work… or even personal growth and fun.Philippians 3:14 HCSB I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus.A comment about people vs. projects - During this process of formulating goals, remember: our relationships with people are more important than completing our task list. Never put projects ahead of people.DreamsThis is the time that you stop and share with God your wildest dreams – dreams that might take days, months, or even years to come to fruition! It is OK (and even good) to do so. Don’t worry. God is not threatened by your dreams, nor does He want to discourage you from dreaming. He is your heavenly Father! He may have actually put some of those dreams in your heart! He will guide you in the days, months and years ahead to show you which ones are from Him, and which ones are not helpful to pursue. (By the way, this podcast is one of my dreams that I shared with the Lord over a year ago.)Psalms 37:4-5 HCSB Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart's desires. (5) Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act.Psalms 20:4 HCSB May He give you what your heart desires and fulfill your whole purpose.This process really helped me to get a better focus on what I need to be doing in 2024. I challenge you to get alone with God early in this new year, and see if this process will help you as well.
Today, I encourage you to “Reflect on This.”