“Commit your way to the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5).
The year 2020 has been a challenge to all of us in America. Political division continues to intensify bringing division in the church and even among family members. We are facing a pandemic the magnitute of which this Country has never experienced, causing many to prematurely bury family members, lose their jobs, and even be prevented from worshiping in their own church.
As we end this yea and enter the new year, we probably all have fresh hopes and dreams. At this time of the year, we set goals and strive to accomplish those goals throughout the year. Some may be asking, “After all this, what do I hope for, which way do I go….where am I?” These are legitimate questions. God knows our fears and doubts, many of which are prompted by all that has happened in 2020. The spirit of fear has tried to paralyze many and overshadow our ability to think ahead.
However, we all must continue to dream. “Where there is no vision, the people perish:” (Prov. 29:18). If we stop dreaming and planning, we perish. One Hebrew definition of the word “perish” means “to go backwards.” The second part of this verse is equally important, “…but he that keeps the law, happy is he” (Prov. 29:18). Put another way, he that guards the instructions of God will go forward.
There are certain steps that need to be instituted in our lives in order to go where God wants us to go. Scripture has Biblical models to follow when we are setting our goals. One of the first questions we need to ask is, “Where am I now?” Another question that we need to ask ourselves is, “What do I want?” When Elijah was about to be taken into Heaven, he said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you?” (2 Kings 2:9). “In Gibeon the Lord appeard to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give you” (I Kings 3:5). Jesus taught the people at the Sermon On The Mount to ask. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you” (Matt. 7:9). The Book of James admonishes us to “ask.” (James 4:1-2).
Join us tomorrow night at Olive Tree Connections as we lay out steps to help us set our goals for next year. May this be the year where we all learn to ASK the right questions, where we see success and enlargement as greater than ever before.
