“O LORD, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed.” Jeremiah 20:7 (NRS)
The New Year spans out before us as a vast, unexplored frontier. Without a proper perspective, we might become afraid or overwhelmed by the prospect of unknowns. Formulating our future plans may even create anguish as we struggle to know the will of God. We question our purpose. We wrestle with issues, trying to discover God’s will. Things can get desperate!
We do not have to be imprisoned like Paul or shackled like Jeremiah in order to question whether God has abandoned us. Such questions may come at the beginning of a new year. Sometimes they come in the tunnel of suffering and pain. Sometimes, such questions come when our dreams have just gone up in smoke! Sometimes, it is when we have kissed a loved one good-by for the last time.
We cannot scold anyone for having such doubts and fears. It is tough when the heavens seem like brass. For most of us, the silence from God is more than we can take. Why does our loving Father allow events and circumstances that seemed to defy His character? Perhaps He will explain it all when we sit around his throne. While we ponder such issues, let’s consider this poem, Courage by Emily Brontë.
“Riches I hold in light esteem
And Love I laugh to scorn
And lust of Fame was but a dream
That vanished with the morn –
And if I pray, the only prayer
That moves my lips for me
Is – “Leave the heart that now I bear
And give me liberty.”
Yes, as my swift days near their goal
‘Tis all that I implore –
Through life and death a chainless soul
With courage to endure!
– Emily Brontë
Dear Father, thank you for your thoughts of good toward us. Empower us with the fortitude to persist with courage. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today and endure with courage,