What will the New Year Bring?

by BJ Armstrong

Why do many of us sometimes overdo things on New Year's Eve? It's really no different than any other night. It's just the turning of another day on the calendar. But then there are all those toasts and exclamations of "Happy New Year!" It is a new start, a new beginning, and the most common wishes are to have a good and prosperous new year.

No one knows what the new year will bring. And what makes a year good or bad anyway? Many would say that a good year would be one of prosperity - money, good health, recognition - and a bad year would be one of sadness, sickness, and poverty. These things would be unpleasant, no doubt. But does this mean they are really bad? One would have a hard time convincing Peter that they are. Peter tells us in his first letter to "not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you" (12:4). Peter is saying that even though we are believers we live in a sinful world. This world brings sickness, suffering, hard times, and even death. Peter lived in the same kind of times.

Like in Peter's day, God is still in control. He's in as much control of 2006 as He was in 2005 and 65. He has not changed. Whatever God does that is pleasant or unpleasant is all a part of His good, perfect, and eternal will. We don't understand it so we have to put our faith in God that He knows better than we do. Why do people suffer from sickness? Only God knows. Why do people suffer from starvation and famine? Only God knows. All these things are a result of sin that entered the world in the time of our first parents Adam and Eve, and continue to leave this world stricken even today. But, like sin, God's righteous plan for salvation is just as strong for us today as it was for the first Christians of Peter's day. Remember, nothing is truly bad except for hell. And God sent His Son, Jesus, to save us from this awful destination. This world is only a brief moment in eternity where we have to endure hardships. God is in control! God has saved us! Because of this, we as Christians do not have to worry about the only bad thing that could possibly happen to a human being.

As we enter the New Year, approach it with joy, love, and hope. Do not be shocked about the hardships that we suffer, rather, give praise to God that He has saved us from eternal hardships. Let us make this new year a world filled with God's children enduring the hardships of this life with joy. We will endure. We will prosper. Praise God and have a happy and blessed New Year!