the word

Hope for a New Beginning (Night Vigil - December 31 2007)

Anchor Scripture: Psalm 46:1-3, 11

"God is our refuge and strength; an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way, and the mountains fall into the heart of the seas. Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swellings and tumult. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge."

Insight: "When we come to the end of ourselves, we come to the beginning of God."

When we come to the end of a year, we come to a new beginning in God! The year 2007 has been a great year for many and for others, it was challenging. Without a doubt for many if not all of us, it was a ‘mixed bag’ (if you like vegetables) or ‘cocktail’ (if you like to think about drink). Nonetheless, the fact that we are gathered together alive suggests to me that we can all be grateful to God Almighty. Glory to God!

Tonight as we invest the last critical hour of 2007 in the presence of God, by the help of the Holy Spirit we want to prepare our hearts for the year 2008 and the future that is wrapped in it by laying the foundation for hope. The calendar is only a ‘gift wrapper’ for the year it is the realities of unfolding events that will make a difference to you and to me. The four pillars for the foundation of Hope are:

  1. God is! (Hebrews 13:8) God’s stability in the midst of changing times, seasons and circumstances is the only anchor of hope that we have. The stability is reflected in His nature and character! To put our confidence in God for the year 2008 is critical to our survival and victory. While some of us have stopped growing physically (permanent shoe and clothe size), our character is still subject to change, we still experience mood swings, and sometimes we ‘surprise ourselves’ with some decisions we make. That is why we thank God that our minds can still be transformed and our hearts conformed to the image of Christ by the Holy Spirit and the Word of truth.
  2. Refuge, Strength, Ever Present Help. I believe these attributes of God are not limited. God can be everything to you ‘Ever Present Help’ – That is the blank cheque – shepherd, defence, provider, healer, peace, joy, hope, wisdom, glory, lifter of my head. When you search through the Psalms, David was not short on account of who God is. You can go home from this meeting and enlist all that God is to you! Lay the foundation of hope and continually add the building blocks as the year unfold in Jesus’ name.
  3. Therefore We: An understanding of who God is, a revelation of His person needs a response from man. For us to step into the new beginning we desire and prophecy, I believe that God is able and willing to play His part of the covenant but we also have responsibilities as mortal beings. In Psalm 46, David’s response was ‘We will not fear’! Even though the challenges he listed were possibilities, he defined his position - Resolutions You and I can also agree with God tonight as to the spiritual, financial, emotional and physical positions we will take in the face of seemingly impossible, situations.
    1. I will not yield to temptation
    2. I will not murmur, speak evil or backbite
    3. I will not backslide
    4. I will not cheat,
    5. I will not frustrate the grace of God upon my life
    Also, we can make decisions as to the things we will do:
    1. I will give my life to God
    2. I will give God the pre-eminent position in my life
    3. I will walk with God and the brethren in love and purity
    4. I will promote God’s Kingdom on earth and do His will
    Moreover, you can agree with God the blessings that your faith will attract:
    1. I will not be sick/ I will be healed
    2. I will not be financially challenged/I will be wiser in my financial dealing
    3. I will be more focused in my thinking and aspirations
    4. I will be celebrated not tolerated
    5. I will be married/I will be pregnant and give birth
    6. I will be established in business/favoured for promotion through diligence and excellence The works of my hands shall be blessed and my hands shall be sufficient to me.
    7. I will be a channel of God’s blessings.
  4. The God of Jacob. This is a monumental revelation. As the last Patriach, Jacob showed us how to engage with the covenant in our time and dispensation when the world is struggling with the relevance of faith and Christianity in particular. This is where we all start from just like the twelve tribes of Israel on the covenant time line. In Genesis 32, Jacob was facing what we could call a new beginning as he left Laban with his wife and children, servants and flocks. All of a sudden, he realised he had an unfinished business from his past – Esau. He was terrified and he thought of appeasing Esau with ‘goods’. However, he realised that he needed God’s intervention more than anything else. Verses 9 – 12. His hope for a new beginning was anchored on God’s faithfulness to His word and his readiness to pray his way through.

Conclusion: Like Jacob some of us have to let go of our ‘man made’ plans that we want God to ratify and wait on God for His plan. Are you ready tonight to agree with the four foundations of Hope?

 

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