Part 4 of 4 posts with a ritual to let the year and decade behind us rest; and prepare our hearts, minds and spirits to embrace all that is to come.
Promise: Living into the promises
God is still speaking. Somewhere beneath the noise and chaos of an ordinary day, or in the sliver of a passing moment – a whisper makes its way across our consciousness. It’s easy to dismiss it as passing. Sometimes it doesn’t even make sense. But a persistent word or thought will often keep finding its way into our thoughts until we are able to perceive: this may be something God is bringing to my mind. And all we have to do with that is receive it and let the rest unfold.
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.
– Jeremiah 29:11-12
For the past few years, that practice of listening at year’s end has helped me to hear a word. My sister and I do it together. The word for 2020 is NAVIGATION. What does that mean? How will it unfold? What do we do with it? We pay attention, trust the promises of God and let God show us what it will mean all year long. The discernment of the word fit other things God is showing us. We listen. We pray. We share. We embrace.
Have you heard a word or a persistent thought? Is God offering you something to embrace? Live into it!
God’s promises are all being fulfilled; and God is always on time…
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
– Isaiah 55:10-11
God’s promises and visions for our lives are not on our timeline. Sometimes when we hear or perceive a promise of God for our lives we think that means it will happen immediately. Since the timing of God is perfect, all of these things happen on “kairos” time. Kairos is a Greek word for the timing that unfolds at just the right moment or season. We live in a chronos time world so the whole idea of letting God bring things into being any differently can feel foreign to our way of thinking. This is the balance of trust; and holding onto the promises of a faithful God. As we rely on the perfect timing of God, life becomes a true adventure. We don’t have to control or create it…
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:3-6
Prayer
God, you are so faithful. We forget how much you have promised to love us. We get tired of waiting and sometimes we lose hope that anything different will happen. Help us to live into the promises you are fulfilling in our lives and in the world right now. Let your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven! We are ready and we need you. We trust you completely; let it be. Thank you for your faithfulness and mercy. Amen.
Do It Again – Elevation Worship
Life in the Deep End 
HOPE. I have been aware of your practice of having a word from God each year. I never connected with that idea. But God gave me the word HOPE last week. He reminds me to never give up Hope. So I am thinking Hope in many areas of life today. Our Hope is in Him who answers all ou prayers hopes and dreams.