As I sit today to look back and reflect on the year that was 2020, many things come to mind… it has been a year where we faced things that our generation would never have imagined in our wildest dreams. The year where people got sick and died alone, and funerals and weddings could not be attended by loved ones. The year that everybody had to cancel holiday plans as we collectively went into worldwide lock down. And the year where family celebrations and visits could not be held due to social distancing restrictions.
The year we ran out of toilet paper and hand sanitiser.
2020 will certainly go down as one of the strangest years we have ever experienced.
I think I can say with confidence that not a single person I know has not faced some kind of loss or disappointment because of COVID-19. And I know many of you have also had personal circumstances where you suffered loss and faced huge battles and difficult decisions this year. You have given me the privilege of walking beside you and praying with and for you as you fought those battles and for that I thank you. It is indeed an honour to bring hope and the love of Jesus into the dark and sad places. I have been inspired to see the grace, strength and courage that has been displayed by you as life as we knew it slowly came tumbling down around us…
For us personally, James and I have also faced struggles and fought some battles this year. But I can honestly say we will end 2020 far stronger than we started it. This has been a year of learning obedience, patience and perseverance, of clinging to hope, and of discovering what it truly means to put your absolute faith and trust in God… to not just say it, but to live it.
As we close the door on 2020 today, I pray that we will remember and learn from it. I pray that we will have found the good (and there was lots of good!) I pray that we will never again become complacent about our world and our relationships. And, above all I pray that we will go into 2021 full of expectation, of hope and in awe of our God, who was and is and is to come. He is still on the throne and worthy of our praise despite our circumstances.
My reading this morning was from Psalm 150… the final Psalm, fitting for the final day of a long year…
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty heavens!
Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
Praise Him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with lute and harp!
Praise Him with tambourine and dance, Praise Him with strings and pipe!
Praise Him with sounding cymbals; Praise Him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 150 ~ ESV
And finally, I just want to say how grateful I am that you are still subscribing, reading and following my blogs. I genuinely appreciate each and every one of you and I honestly love hearing from you when my ramblings mean something to you, and you take the time to tell me. I am personally praying for more interaction, expansion and growth in my blog and social media pages in the coming year as I continue to do what God has called me to do in reaching, encouraging and bringing the hope of Jesus Christ to a hurting world. Thank you so very much for being a part of that!
Happy New Year from our house to yours … May 2021 bring much joy, peace, blessings and love to us all.
Amen to our God on the throne! And for hope to spring up in our innermost man as we prayerfully and rejoicing go into 2021. Happy New Year Southwells!