Horsham: 1st January 2025
So. Here we are. Looking back at a year which has had more than its fair share of challenges, and looking forward to 2025. As this first day of the year draws to a close, I wonder how your New Year resolutions are going?
Some of us are excited – looking forwards in anticipation of good things this year. For others, this is a time of year when we look anxiously ahead to the year to come. I want to encourage you, this New Year, to set aside for a moment all the things which you can do nothing about. The big, national, international and global issues. The personal problems – the things in your own life which you wish were different but you cannot change.
Step aside for a moment. Find somewhere quiet and on your own. Take a moment to be still. Put down all the stuff which surrounds you. Intentionally, take a moment to draw close to God. Breathe deeply and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).
I want to offer you the Covenant prayer of Methodist preacher John Wesley. It is a prayer of commitment to follow Christ, whatever 2025 brings.
Read this prayer slowly. Pause for a moment, allowing the words to sink in, then read it again. Can you make this prayer your own? This this simple prayer of commitment be your resolution for this year, and for the rest of your life.
Those 2025 challenges we spoke about? When you’ve finished the prayer those problems are still there. You still have to face them. But in your covenant relationship with Jesus, you have the opportunity to face them with Christ at your side.
Be blessed and encouraged in Jesus.
Happy New Year.