
The Hand of God
New Year can be quite daunting. In one way, moving from the 31st December to the 1st January is no different from any other 24 hour period! However, at New Year we are more aware than usual of the passing of time, and we tend to reflect back on the old year and look forward into the new one. Maybe there are happy memories, and exciting things to look forward to. Maybe there are also regrets and things in the new year that worry us. Often we make resolutions - good intentions to make changes in our lives, our routines, our habits, our thoughts, our relationships. Maybe these things are in our everyday lives. Maybe they are in our spiritual lives. Both naturally and spiritually, this time of reflection can be tough, especially if we are honest with ourselves. Looking forward, life for Christians is hard and promises to get harder. The world is uncertain. Each of us face the same enemy in the devil and will be hampered by the same sinful nature as in 2017. It can all be very daunting.
In 1939, Britain stood at the brink of World War II. It was a very dark time for the nation. In his Christmas broadcast King George VI quoted a poem which captured the imagination of a country facing great difficulty. I like to remember it each New Year. The full poem (God Knows by Minnie Louise Haskins) can be read here, but the part which I find poignant is the introduction.
And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.” So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.”
The future may be daunting, but 'Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:' (Isaiah 59:1). Go forward, by faith putting your hand into the hand of God and you will be able to walk safely into the unknowns of 2018.
2017 & 2018 on Footsteps Blog
We thought we’d mark the beginning of 2018 on Footsteps Blog by having a look back at some of the highlights from 2017 and previewing some of the plans for the next year.
Looking back
January 2017 marks the first full year since we went live with Footsteps Blog. We’re very thankful to God for enabling us to keep going right through the year, and for his help & guidance in producing posts. We’re also very grateful to all our readers and especially to those who've given feedback. We’ve covered a lot of subjects – practical, doctrinal, historical, apologetics, reviews – some articles have been long, others short. Recently with the Reformation 500 anniversary we experimented with producing the Five Solas video. In case you missed them, here are links to the five most popular posts so far:
Looking forward
We’ve got a few articles and features already planned for 2018, if the Lord will, including:
- Looking at what it really means to be a Christian - what is the purpose of our lives and of the church as a whole?
- Tackling hard questions like Isn’t Original Sin Unfair?
- Considering practical topics such as: how to stand up for what you believe, Biblical guidance for dating, and a series on sinful things we can do without even realising it.
- Adding to the Theology|Basics series.
- Further devotional articles.
We’ve also got ideas for a couple more videos, so keep an eye out for those. Finally, in the next week or so we’ll be launching a 2018 Book/Reading Challenge with recommendations for a small number of books to read through 2018 – more details to follow...
Feedback please!
Please interact and engage with Footsteps, its not meant to be one-way traffic! We'd love you to comment on the articles, and to send us your feedback. Also, follow Footsteps Blog on social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc.), sign up to our newsletter, and spread the word! Tell your friends about the website and encourage them to follow us too.
We really do appreciate receiving feedback – both positive and negative - although please be constructive!
- Feedback helps us to help you. It enables us to improve our content and hopefully make it more relevant to your spiritual journey and your everyday lives. If you get in touch via the contact page on the website or by email, be assured we’ll treat your question / feedback with complete confidence.
- Feedback encourages us. On one level it's good to know that people are engaging with what we produce and reading the posts, but more importantly, it’s a real encouragement to know when you have found an article particularly helpful or a blessing. A lot of prayer goes into Footsteps Blog from our side and its wonderful when God answers these prayers.
Pray for us
Please, please do pray for us at Footsteps Blog in 2018.
- Pray that God will give us wisdom, grace, understanding & energy.
- Pray that we will stay true to our aims.
- Pray that Footsteps will be used by God to help and encourage young people like you.
- Pray that above all God might be honoured and glorified.
Happy New Year!
Finally, we wish you all a very happy and blessed New Year! In the words of the Apostle Peter, may we all 'grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ' and, in all we do may our aim be: 'To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.' (2 Peter 3:18)
[A00059 - 01/01/2018]
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