HOPE for the New Year!

Happy New Year to you and yours!  2015 is a hard number to imagine.  It seems like only yesterday I was in high school, then college and then raising my kids.  Time seems to be flying by when I realize that my grandson is now 6!  Yet, looking forward with hope and determination is what God would have us do.  I have chosen to begin this New Year with one of my favorite verses in Lamentations.  I always like to begin the New Year with HOPE in Christ on my mind and a reminder of God’s faithfulness.  I have decided to continue using promises at least once a week with my other blogs in between.  This is a tall order for writing in the New Year but with God’s help I will be able to continue speaking to you though this blog.  As today’s verse tell us- GOD IS FAITHFUL!!

This is taken from my new book, Promises for Dynamic Living , that will be published in 2015!

Lamentations 3:21-23
      But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
      The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
      they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.     (ESV)

 Promise: God promises His love and faithfulness will never end and that His mercies are new each morning.

            What encouragement do you need as you start a New Year? God in his mercy gives us new hope every day. So many times I get discouraged after experiencing a long and frustrating day when things didn’t seem to go well. Maybe I was struggling with relationships, troubling circumstances, health or finances and at day’s end I was in need of rest and refuge. God knows this and gives me this promise to assure me that each day will be a new beginning, and there is refreshed HOPE in Him.

Lessons and Truths:
1.   God is my source of HOPE.
2.   God’s love is steadfast: firm, unswerving, constant, and resolute.
3.   His mercies are new each day and enough to supply all my needs
4.   God is faithful.

Prayer:     Lord, you are indeed the maker of each new day. You are sovereign and in control of all things. Give me hope in You and the ability to see your mercies that come into my life each and every day. As I begin this New Year with your promise on my lips and in my heart, help me to remember your faithfulness and to have a new sense of wonder about the possibilities and assurances that you have for me in your word.   Amen.

What is my response to God’s promise?

How has God been faithful in the past so I know I can trust in His faithfulness today? ____________________________________________________________________

Where do I need His mercies today? _______________________________________

The following verses reaffirm this promise given in Lamentations about God’s hope, mercy and faithfulness to us.

Promise Confirmation: Psalm 90:14, Isaiah 40:28-31, Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:38-39.

Blessings today and HOPE for 2015,

Linda