HOPE FOR A NEW YEAR

HOPE FOR A NEW YEAR
Wednesday, January 1, 2020 by MARTIN WILES

PLEASE WELCOME

MARTIN WILES

DEVOTIONAL WEDNESDAY

Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:30-31 NLT

Although a goal-oriented type of guy, I stopped making New Year’s resolutions a long time ago.

Since I set goals throughout the year, I didn’t see the point of relegating them to one day. And then, too, the statistics of keeping them aren’t too enticing. Many are broken within a short period of time. Days. Weeks.

But failing to make goals on one day doesn’t mean everything has gone well throughout the year. Weak, tired, and exhausted are three adjectives that accurately describe most previous years for anyone. Weak from sicknesses and diseases for which there is no cure and from pain that seems to go on and on. Weak and tired emotionally from working to meet financial responsibilities when there isn’t enough money to pay the bills—or buy groceries. Tired of studying for the degree, tired of writing papers, and tired of the late-night hours. Exhausted from having to care for loved ones who can’t fend for themselves. Tired of going to a job we’d rather not go to. Weary from the busyness—self-inflicted and others-inflicted—that seems never to end.

Isaiah gives hope … and the key for a fresh start to a New Year. Trusting in the Lord probably won’t make all, or any, of the stressors disappear. Sometimes God takes them away … sometimes He doesn’t. But trusting in Him gives us strength beyond ourselves—fortitude we can’t manufacture on our own. The new strength comes from remembering He is in control. He has come through for us in the past, and He will again. Perhaps not in the way we want or imagine, but come through He will.

This trust will cause us to soar above the trials and tribulations like an eagle that flies high above the obstacles that would restrict her flight. God enables us to soar when ordinarily we would crash and burn. We will run the race of life without being emotionally, physically, or spiritually exhausted. We will walk through every day, with all that it brings, without falling. Even with peace … and a smile.

God never promised an easy life, but He will give us hope for every year when we look to Him.

Put your hope in God this year, not things or people. And enjoy a Happy New Year.

ABOUT MARTIN WILES

Martin Wiles lives in Greenwood and is the founder of Love Lines from God. He is a freelance editor, English teacher, minister, and author who serves as Managing Editor for Christian Devotions and as a proof-editor for Courier Publishing. He is the author of six books and has been published in numerous publications. His most recent book, A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapades in a Busy World, released in December 2019.

www.lovelinesfromgod.com

ABOUT A WHISPER IN THE WOODS

A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Noisy World was birthed from Martin Wiles' numerous treks with his two children and his middle brother in mountainous areas on the eastern coast of the United States. Through these hiking and camping experiences, God taught him valuable lessons that have seen him through many difficult life experiences.

Martin's weekly devotionals found in A Whisper in the Woods take the reader out of the noise that often accompanies living in this world and into the quiet escapades of wooded areas where the voice of God is more clearly heard.

As you walk with Martin through the mountain valleys and over the high summits, you too will hear God whisper words of comfort to you.

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Whisper-Woods-Quiet-Escapes-Noisy/dp/1620208652

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