God is Certain
Pastor Gary Oser
As we move into the New Year, there are a lot of things that are uncertain. We don’t know whether we will enjoy good health. We don’t know whether the economy is going to improve or whether inflation will continue to plague us. We don’t know whether life will be smooth sailing or whether we will encounter bumps in the road and difficulties.
I want to focus for just a few minutes on three things of which you can be certain.
Photo by Jaka Škrlep | Unsplash
God is in control
Even when it may not look like it, God has a plan and is working out that plan. Romans 8:28 reminds us that “…all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purposes” (KJV). Nothing is going to happen to you this year that is not a part of God’s plan for you.
God will be with you
In the great Shepherd Psalm (23), the Word of God (the Bible) says in verse four, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Why? The verse continues, “…for Thou (meaning God) art with me.”
In Psalm 139 the psalmist says, “If I ascend to heaven, You (God) are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me” (vv. 8-10a). In Hebrews 13:5 God promises, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
Photo by Miriam G | Unsplash
3. God’s grace is sufficient for you
The apostle Paul had what he referred to as a “thorn in the flesh.” We don’t know exactly what it was, but we know it was uncomfortable for him. He pleaded for God to remove it from his life, but rather than remove it, God gave Paul the promise found in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”
Whatever you may have to face in the year ahead, you can be sure that God’s grace will help you handle it.
I would encourage you not to focus on the things that are uncertain and discouraging, but instead on the things of which we can be certain. Focus on God and the great promises He gives us in His Word (the Bible).