When the fireworks and celebrations of the New Year are over, the realities of life always resurface, often with a vengeance.
We can’t help but remember the many difficult or hurtful things that 2016 brought us. I know some of you are facing a new year without someone who is very special to you. When we look at the world around us, it seems that there is no end to the cruelty and violence we see and hear about in the news. In fact, it looks like those things get worse every year.
We want to think that all the hard and depressing things are now behind us, and that the New Year will be better. Down deep inside, though, we know that at any moment life could get worse.
If we are going to face the new year with any genuine optimism, we need help—a lot of help! Thankfully, our Creator understands that and wants us to experience how amazing His help can be. Think about this promise: “… How can that promise be true for you and me? The secret lies in understanding what the God of the universe is like. For example, He is called “The LORD of Hosts” in the Bible at least 284 times. What does that mean, you wonder, and how can that help us today? That name for God is used to highlight God’s authority over all the angels (Psalm 68:17 and Luke 2:13); over the entire universe (Isaiah 20:26, 45:12); and over all the forces of nature (Jeremiah 29:17, 31:35). When God gave the prophet Isaiah one of the very few glimpses of heaven that we have in the Bible, he saw special heavenly creatures around the throne of God calling out, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3). In other words, God’s power and authority are unequaled. “O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You” (Psalm 89:8). “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?” (Exodus 15:11). Think about it, God is in full and absolute control of the angels, the universe, and all the forces of nature. Since that is true, then we know He also has the power to comfort and protect us through life’s trials as well. That is why God can say, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand…. For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you’ ” (Isaiah 41:13). When the LORD of Hosts is taking care of you, then you have the most powerful resource in the universe on your side. That kind of strength allows you to face the future with great confidence. Since we all began life as enemies of the LORD of Hosts [“All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way….” (Isaiah 53:6)], we need God to change us. The Bible says we need to repent. That change of direction makes it possible for the LORD of Hosts to be our constant companion. To make that happen, we must first we admit that our sin makes us “… unclean, and [that before God] all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and [that] all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Isaiah 64:6). Next, we must put our full trust in Jesus Christ because, “He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those [Old Testament] high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself” (Hebrews 7:25–27). Jesus did that for you. When you accept it, God gives you a new heart and a new direction and a new family among the people of God. When the LORD of Hosts is your Lord, you can begin the New Year with joy and confidence.
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