Daughter of The Potter

A Note for the New Year: Remember the God who Stands Firm

Tomorrow, that blip in the calendar year will happen, where reflection takes place, and celebration of new beginnings occurs. So, in the New Year fashion, I’ve been taking some time to think over the events that have happened in the last year. While there are many blessings, my mind can’t help but wonder to all the devastation, wickedness, and pain that have transpired during the previous twelve months. Natural disasters that shook the world: from wildfires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and more, numerous school shootings, drone attacks, countries waging war, famine and starvation, missile attacks, multiple plane crashes, murders and an assassination, global and national horrors, the list can go on and on. Havoc also rages in our personal world, too: loss, financial hardship, addictions, depression, diagnoses and illness, relationship tension, again, the list goes on. 

To be honest, my soul feels weary, my heart heavy. It is easy with lists like these hanging over the past year to get caught in the doom and gloom of this broken, sin-filled world we live in. It is easy to allow bitterness and negativity to control us. It is easy to forget how big God is, how good He is, and the battle He has won, the victory He has claimed. But when you feel powerless, when you feel tired, when your heart is weary, remember the powerful God we serve, the One True God, who can shoulder your burdens, who set the world in motion. Psalms 33:6-9 depicts it like this:

“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, 
their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers 
the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. 
Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him.
 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭33‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

These verses put me in a state of awe. This Psalm has been somewhat of a daily mantra for me the last couple of months. It is a reminder that our God is so mighty, so powerful. By His word, His voice, the entire earth was formed, the galaxies ignited, the heavens burst forth. The ocean, so vast and unknown, He can gather in jars the entirety of all the waters. They are nothing but a mere drop to Him. Let the name of the Lord be known, for one day every knee will bow. His name will be chanted throughout the world, for He is the creator of it all. What the Lord declares and decrees happens. Immediately. Without question. Boom. Done. There is power in the Word of God: earth-shaking, heaven-making, life-giving power.

Nothing happens without God’s knowledge. God is in control, wholly and completely. Even when it feels like chaos is raging and lawlessness is on the rise, God is still in control, and His plan is still good. What God commands stands firm.  Read that again. What God commands stands firm. Nothing can come against Him. No force is more powerful. When evil seems to be pounding down the door, when darkness seems to be winking out the light, when Satan appears to be claiming victory, remember the One who is above all, remember the God who stands firm.

“The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes 
of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, 
the purposes of his heart through all generations.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭33‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The powers of evil in this world can not defeat God. Plans made against Him will fail. Attempts to destroy what God has created and His ultimate plan for the future will be forsaken. What people intend for harm, God will bring to the light and use for good. The devastation and disasters, the hurts and pains that attempt to rob us of every good thing are Satan’s last-ditch attempt to throw everything he’s got at us. He’s desperate, and his desperation makes him fight dirty. Satan wants nothing more than for you to be blinded by the hopelessness and depravity of the world. He wants you backed into a corner and heartbroken. He wants you to forget the God who stands firm, who has power over all the earth, who by the very breath of His lungs spoke creation into existence. 

The wisdom of God is steady and dependable. He is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. His promises are not limited by time. His promises are not limited by evil. The plans and purpose of God’s heart stand firm through the generations. The promises God gave to the patriarchs of the Old Testament are our promises. Claim them. Claim the victory you have in Jesus. Go into this New Year with the assurance that nothing, and I mean nothing, can separate you from God; nothing is more powerful. Remain rooted in the One who stands firm, who is our firm foundation.