Happy New Year friends!

Out with the old, in with the new…don’t you love the fact that we have a 12-month calendar that reminds us that, as we turn a new page, we have a Savior ready to shower us with new mercies!  In fact, He does that every single day!  Lamentations 3:22-24 tells us:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him.”

Here is an idea: while you’re off today, take the time to read the entire chapter of Lamentations 3, where you will find:

• A man broken and afflicted, trapped and crying out for help
• A man who bowed down his soul and called to mind the hope he has in the Lord
• A man who saw God as his compassionate portion
• A man who confessed his sin and called upon the Lord
• A man who trusted in God to deal with his enemies

I admire that man, don’t you?  In his human-ness he recognized his need and he turned to the One who could redeem, restore, and protect him.  I wonder…do we do the same today?  Or have we been lulled to sleep by the trappings of this world, and forgotten that we need the same new mercies each day that Jeremiah (the author of Lamentations) needed?

By many accounts, 2016 could be a very challenging year for America, and perhaps an even bigger challenge for Christians.  God is calling His children close and I wonder if we are hearing Him.  I want to hear Him, don’t you?

That prompted me to spend New Year’s Eve as I plan to spend much of 2016: on my knees, seeking to hear and to heed the Lord’s still small voice.  He promises to lead, guide, and direct; and our job is to listen, follow, and obey.

While praying, I was reminded of a song that has become almost a theme song when I lead my Bible study.  It is Casting Crowns’ “While You Were Sleeping.”  Take 5 minutes to quiet your mind and listen.  (I’ve included the lyrics below the video.)  Then, determine how you want to live 2016.  Let’s not be found sleeping, but very much awake and constantly ready for our Lord’s command!  Enjoy!

“While You Were Sleeping”

Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you’re lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping
Oh little town of Jerusalem
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son
The Way, the Truth, the Life had come
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save
Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we’re sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we’re lying in the dark
There’s a shout heard ‘cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping
Will we be sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night