Tag: faithful

Brave New Year

By Ife J. Ibitayo

There once was a man, a noble savage of sorts, who was taken from a reservation to experience the high life of London. When he arrived in the big city, he was awed by the novelty of civilization: Its fine food, bodacious women, and virtual reality entertainment titillated his senses and stoked his curiosity. But as he grew in understanding of the “paradise” he’d come to trust in–a plush cage where the masses were controlled by drugs and sex–he retreated into seclusion and ultimately committed suicide.

This may seem like a pretty dark way to start off 2021. For many, this new year embodies the hope 2020 was supposed to. We expect recovery in our health, finances, and social lives. But we shouldn’t repeat the mistake we made last year.

We should never pin our hopes on anything as flimsy as the dawning of a new year. Tossing out our old calendars and putting up new ones doesn’t mean that salvation will magically materialize on January 1st, or even December 31st. In 2021, vaccines may ruin as many lives as they protect, sitting presidents may refuse to leave office, and economies may continue to plummet as unrealistic expectations drive foolish corporate choices.  But as this year comes to a close, there are plenty of ways we can prepare for the next.

Reflect

As I said in my article “Looking Back, Moving Forward”, we must not forget the perspective we gained this past year. This holiday season gives us a golden opportunity to reflect on 2020. We can honestly evaluate the lessons we’ve learned through quarantine and Zoom calls, remote work and virtual church services, homecooked meals and home-rigged gyms.  

Resolve

We can also choose to do better in 2021. A new you doesn’t have to wait until a new year. But there is indeed something fresh and powerful about a New Year’s Resolution. We can start over and begin anew as better parents, better lovers, and better remote employees.

But we mustn’t fall into the trap of trying harder. There’s a reason that 80% of people who make a New Year’s Resolution drop it by the second week of February. Jesus said, “‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing’” (John 15:5 NIV). Faithfulness is not woven into our DNA. By nature all of us are unreliable. But God is not. “The faithful love of the Lord never ends” (Lamentations 3:22a NLT) is one of countless verses that point us to the reliability of our Heavenly Father. And we can tap into this faithfulness by depending on His Spirit more and our strength less.

Rejoice

Lastly, this new year gives us an opportunity to rejoice. The word rejoice literally means “to experience joy again.” I’m sure I’m not the only one who struggled with finding joy in 2020. We’ve lost loved ones, missed momentous occasions, and experienced great loss. But God Himself says, “‘I will repay for the years the locusts have eaten’” (Joel 2:25 NIV). In other words, God will restore to us the progress we’ve lost, the dreams we’ve given up on, and the pursuits we’ve delayed because He is a God of reversal. He turns mourning to dancing (Psalm 30:11), barrenness to new life (Isaiah 54:1), and deserts to gardens (Isaiah 51:3). He’s done it before; He’ll do it again, and we can rejoice in this truth.

Conclusion

I can’t say that 2021 will be a better year than 2020. If 2020 has taught me anything, it’s that years can’t be trusted to bring good, no matter how hashtag-able they are. But I know a God who rules over time and sets the course of decades. I know He is trustworthy, and I will continue to trust Him as I step into this brave new year.

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.”

(Lamentation 3:22-23 NIV)

Spies and Lies (40 Years of Muttering with Moses Pt. 5)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1 on “Hope or Hopelessness”, click here. For Part 2, “Between an Army and a Watery Grave”, click here. Part 3, “Bitter Sweet”, click here. Part 4, “Worth the Wait”, click here.

At last, after years of sulking through the burning desert, eating heavenly trail mix (a.k.a. “manna”) and whining about their problems, the Israelites finally reached the Promised Land. It was a glorious land flowing with milk and honey, vineyards and orchards, and precious metals and fine wine (Deuteronomy 8:7-9). But it was also inhabited.

The Israelites sent out twelve spies to investigate the Promised Land, and it was worse than they had feared: the people of the land were powerful, and the cities well-fortified.

The Ten Spies’ Response

Seeing the great challenge that lay before them, ten of the twelve spies spun the story out of proportion. They lied to the people, “‘The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers’” (Numbers 13:22-23a NLT)! Now why would they do that?

When we are tasked with a difficult undertaking such as going to college, kicking a bad habit, or winning a woman’s heart, convincing ourselves failure is inevitable can be far easier than chasing after success.

The People’s Response

When the Israelites were told this tall tale, they flipped out. “All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword’” (Numbers 14:2-3a)?

Some of us share this same tendency. We trust God when times are good but doubt Him when times get tough. We suspect He is like the sun: Present with clear skies but vanishing with the rain.

The Two Spies’ Response

The report of those ten spies drove the Israelites to hysteria. They were ready to turn tail and run all the way back to Egypt (Numbers 14:3-4)! But there was a brave remnant that did not share their terror. Joshua and Caleb, two of the twelve spies, rose up and said, “‘If the Lord is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them’” (Numbers 14:8-9 NIV).

Joshua and Caleb understood something about God the others did not: God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). The same God that sustained their forefathers, blasted open Pharaoh’s palace doors, and protected them in the blazing desert would topple giants before them. He would bring them into the Promised Land because He promised He would. God always keeps His promises (Hebrews 6:17-18).

God’s Response

Hearing the Israelites’ muttering, God asked Moses, “‘How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them’” (Numbers 14:11 NLT)?

It shouldn’t take long for us to remember the amazing miracles God has done in our own lives: the illnesses He’s healed, the blessings He’s given, the hearts He’s changed, including our own. We mustn’t give in to lies about the challenges that lay before us or doubts about the God who walks along side us. If we take Him at His word, we will enter the Promised Land.

“He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:24 ESV)