Unknown, but not alone

I was talking recently to someone about King George 6th's Christmas broadcast in 1939. He's the king of The King's Speech of course and there were five years of the 2nd World War ahead. In the face of the unknown darkness, he ended his message quoting this: "I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year, 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.' 

And he replied, 'Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the Hand of God. 

That shall be better than light, and safer than a known way'" - which is part of a poem called God Knows by Minnie Louise Haskins. He had been given the whole poem by his wife. I shouldn't be surprised that it was more than a token gesture. From his brother's abdication through the war his was a hard burden to pick up and one he'd rather have been without.

I was reminded of it again when Jane forwarded this New Year's meditation to me yesterday. 

SIX OF THE NEEDS YOU WILL HAVE IN 2012

If the Lord is willing, we shall live and we shall do this or that [thing]. James 4:15 AMP

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Matthew 6:34 AMP

Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing. Psalm 143:10 NLT

One thing you can be certain about in the coming year is that you can’t be certain about what is ahead. This is a great blessing, because you do not need to know. To know what is ahead and the details of what will happen would be too great a burden to carry and too great a responsibility to bear.

What you do need to know about the future is not what is ahead of you, but Who is ahead of you. It is the Lord who goes before you, is ahead of you, and is preparing the way for you. Your future is in His sure, strong, caring hands.

 I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you. Genesis 28:15 NLT

As you pass through the door of 2011 and enter the door of 2012, here are six of the needs you are certain to have:-

1.     THERE WILL BE THE NEED FOR PRAYER:

Until you get to heaven, there will always be the need for prayer. In every prayer as a believer, you will be speaking to the living God, your loving Father—the One who invites you to come, the One who hears your cries, the One who answers your prayers, and the One who will work all things together for the good according to His will and purpose. (I don't think spoken prayers are always needed, by the way; I'm sure the Spirit interprets our aches and groans to the Father when we can't "pray".)

2.     THERE WILL BE THE NEED TO TRUST:

God does not want you to be fearful or worried about what is ahead. He will give you what you need when you need it; He will tell what you need to know when it is time to know it; He will show what you need to see when it is time to see it. When He is silent about any matter, be at peace about it and do not become anxious.

3.     THERE WILL BE THE NEED TO OBEY:

You will never outgrow your need for obedience. To obey the Lord is to please the Lord. He will always give you the provision, the time, and the opportunity to do what He has asked you to do. If He is not asking you to do anything new or different at the present time, continue to do the last thing He asked of you.

4.     THERE WILL BE THE NEED TO FORGIVE:

No one will ever act perfectly or speak perfectly to you. Even those who love you will not perform perfectly. Forgiveness is an attitude of the heart and a choice of the will that you must walk in each day. Some people carry hurt, bitterness, or resentment in their hearts for years, never wanting to let go of the past. As you go through the door of 2012, drop at the entryway, all the hurts of yesterday and carry them no more.

5.     THERE WILL BE THE NEED TO BE FAITHFUL:

In 2012 you will need to press on in the will of God for your life; you will need to walk on through the valleys and over the mountain tops that you will face; you will need to carry on in your service of love to others; you will need to live on in the will of God with a thankful heart, with praise upon your lips, and with zeal in your spirit.

6.     THERE WILL BE THE NEED FOR JESUS:

Every day, in every moment, through every circumstance of 2012, you will need Jesus. You will need Him fully and you will need to trust Him completely. You will need His grace to enable you, His Spirit to empower you, His strength to support you, and His counsel to instruct you in all the will of God.

The best place is wherever He puts us, and any other would be undesirable, all the worse because it would please our fancy, and would be of our own choice. Do not think about distant events. This uneasiness about the future is unwholesome for you. We must leave to God all that depends on Him, and think only of being faithful in all that depends upon ourselves. When God takes away that which He has given you, He knows well how to replace it either through other means or by Himself.  (François Fenelon)

Strive to carry yourself with total resignation to the Divine will that God may do with you and all according to His heavenly pleasure, relying on Him as on a kind and loving Father.   (Miguel de Molinos)

New Year meditation by Roy Lessin

Good stuff, Roy. And I think I'd add a 7th: "You will always need forgiveness." In other words, don't be surprised or disappointed when you 'fail' in the six, because God knows you will. And He's full of love and mercy. So don't beat yourself up. Just accept you're not perfect and we all get it wrong. BUT HE STILL LOVES YOU - FOR JESUS' SAKE!