"Hope refreshes faith, that it may not become weary. It sustains faith to the final goal, that it my not fail in midcourse, or even at the starting gate. In short, by unremitting, renewing, and restoring, it
invigorates faith again and again with perseverance."
John Calvin, French Reformer
This new year started somewhat tumultuously for our family. Our youngest daughter, Abbie, was hospitalized for several days with facial cellulitis and an abscess. The treatment required days of IV antibiotics, followed by a minimum of a ten day course orally. School was missed and flights were rescheduled, as were many patients in Brent's medical practice. In spite of our unexpected chaos, there were also many unexpected blessings that God had prepared for us along the way.
The first blessing came in the form of a Christmas present we had received from a precious eight year old girl named Jordan. She had made us a decoration that hangs on a doorknob in the shape of a candy cane. Written upon it was the verse that reads, "By His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). When her parents called us while we were in the Emergency Room, her Mom reminded me of that gift given and stated that it was a prophetic promise for us in this situation. Days later, God confirmed this word when Abbie's nurse unknowingly laid a candy cane on her belly while she slept. Yes, God can even speak through a sugary, striped confectionary.
The next blessing we received was through unexpected friends and family that unknowingly called and texted us that they were being prompted to pray for us. We literally could feel the prayers that were being prayed for Abbie. It was extremely comforting to know that others were praying for her that she would be healed and restored (James 5:16).
A third blessing came in the form of a daily Bible verse text. It arrived on a morning when Brent and I were exhausted physically from a lack of sleep. The verse said, "The Lord will give [unyielding and impenetrable] strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace" (Psalm 29:11). Strength and peace were exactly what we needed and strength and peace God did supply!
The last, and best, blessing that God gave to us was the chance to minister to a Jewish nurse that took care of Abbie. This nurse was diligent and had a heart of gold. She shared with us that her immediate family barely survived the holocaust in Germany, while her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins were murdered. All of her family that survived today lies in Haifa, Israel. In the midst of every trial lies an opportunity in God's economy.
It is, however, in times like these that we truly find out where our hope lies. If it is inextricably linked to Jesus, our Rock, we will not be shaken. Everything we need will be given to us and our security will never falter.
Hudson Taylor, a nineteenth century missionary to China, sums up the sufficiency of Christ as follows: "'Christ liveth in me.' And how great the difference! Instead of bondage, liberty; instead of failure, quiet victories within; instead of fear and weakness, a restful sense of sufficiency in Another."
It is my belief that in this upcoming year the most important thing we can do is to completely find our sufficiency in Christ. If we look to the stock market for security, we will be shaken. If we look to the government, we are standing on sinking sand. Jesus is our true security and He is the Only One who "will never leave you or forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).
This is the Hebraic year 5776. The two predominant letters associated with this year are the ayin and the vav. The ayin has the numerical value of seventy and is symbolized as the eye. The vav has the numerical value of six and its meaning is the "peg, nail, or hook". When you combine these letters it means "to see the peg". The word "see" in this context means to "discern, understand, know".
Really knowing Jesus this year will keep us strong and peaceful in the midst of turbulence and increasing tensions in the world. Since this is also a political year in the U.S., it is safe to assume that the vitriol and deception will continue to escalate. Like never before we need to be rooted in the love of Christ and grounded in His Word because the tension between the work of God and the work of man (not of God) will continue to mount.
We must be secure in our salvation and know that it only comes through Jesus. Not religion. Not works. Just Jesus. We are told that "There is salvation in no one else [other than Jesus], for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Prophetically, Jesus is the peg or nail that secures our position and connects us to His Father. He is our prophetic promise of victory. This is how the prophet Zechariah explains, "Out of him [Judah] shall come forth the cornerstone, out of him the tent peg, out of him the battle bow; every ruler shall proceed from him. And they shall be like mighty men treading down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle, and they shall fight because the Lord is with them, and the [oppressor's] riders on horses shall be confounded and put to shame" (Zechariah 10:4-5).
Jesus is the Only One who has been given the authority and power to overcome the evil in this world. The Holy Spirit describes Jesus as "the Holy One, the True One, He who has the key of David, who opens what no one shall shut and shuts what no one shall open"(Revelation 3:7). He is the One who allows us to grow in grace, be strong in faith, and give glory to God through our lives.
If you are currently in a battle, it is prayer that will win the war. As we pray and declare God's Word, Jesus watches over His Word to perform it. Alert and awake, we will discern what God is saying during these turbulent times.
Moreover, there is a double blessing and a double portion that will be given to the people of God during this season. Double gates will be opened in front of us, unlocked by the key of David, and we will see answers to prayers that have long been prayed. As we rest in the sufficiency of Christ, things we have labored for in the past will come to us with less effort and more expeditiously than we expect. God will bring sweet unexpected surprises to His children.
This is not the time to shrink back. It is the time to conquer over our opposition as Jael did (Judges 4:21) and to "enlarge the place of your tent' (Isaiah 54:2). As our dreams are revived and we step out in faith, we will see that our "boundaries have fallen in pleasant places" (Psalm 16:6). God is good and so are His plans for 2016!
HAVE A BLESSED NEW YEAR!!!!
"He blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us and contrary to us, and He took it out of the way, nailing it to the Cross. And having disarmed authorities and powers, He made a show of them openly triumphing over them by the Cross."
(Colossians 2:14-15)
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