Beginnings or Endings?

 

Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed.  O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come. When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions. Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple! By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy. You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy. (Psalm 65 ESV)

 

I could have just as easily chosen to include only verse 11 (in bold italics) of our reading today, though there are those times, like today, that the full text is so much better. David wrote this psalm. His life was full of victories and defeats, joys and sorrows, and success and failure, yet he pictures the year ahead as one so packed with “bounty” that the sheer weight of it in the “wagon” leave deep ruts along the road. The events of 2021 have included an ongoing pandemic, racial tensions, joblessness, and political unrest creating an unprecedented time of unrest and anxiety. Perhaps you are a part of the population that have just experienced the best year ever and look forward to an even greater one looming ahead; or, you may have just trudged through one deep struggle after another. The fresh calendar year brings desperate hope for things to be better, with an ache for the still-fresh wounds to slowly begin their process of healing.

 

Praying at the start of the New Year doesn't always bring immediate change at the stroke of midnight, but it begins the opening of our hearts to God's Words of hope and peace. Whether you’ve just walked through the greatest year of your life, or are incredibly glad to see this one finally over, one truth still rings clear amidst it all. You are not alone. Not ever. Scripture is filled with prayers of men and women who reached out to God for a fresh start. Praying is the main source of connection to the one who created you and the one who wants you to experience blessings and promises in the future. Our God is a “with us" God. On the heels of the celebration of the birth of our King, that reminder has the power to carry us right into a fresh, new start. He is Immanuel, God with us. And though things and people around us shift and change, our God never changes. Focus your prayers this week on the presence of God in your life. That is a good beginning instead of a bad ending!