Theme of the Week: Impact for the Year
Bible Verse: For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 NLT
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9:1-7, Colossians 1:15-23
What kind of words would you use to describe this past year? Joyful? Sad? Wins? Losses? If your year was like mine, “roller coaster” might be the most fitting. This year has been a jumble of gains and losses, illness and health, confidence and worry, questions and answers. I suspect many of us have experienced these shifting tides of fortune.
As we look forward to the new year, we all hope the negative will be in our review mirror and the road ahead happy, healthy, and hope filled. Unfortunately, we can’t even see the road ahead, let alone control it. That is why I am grateful that in the ebbs and flows, there is a God who is above it all.
The prophet Isaiah was allowed to stare into the difficult future of the nation of Israel. But through the destruction, fears, and demise of a nation, he pointed to the One to come would supersede everything, from political power to personal pain and everything in between. The prophet’s words still echo through the corridors of time:
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6, NLT)
C.S. Lewis, in his 1956, The Last Battle, made this profound statement: “Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.” Lewis was echoing the Apostle Paul’s deep Christological truth:
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:15-16)
Christmas points to an expectant, confident, and hope-filled future. Isaiah’s promise breathes fresh assurance into our lives:
- In our anxieties, He is our Wonderful Counsellor,
- In our chaos, He is a Mighty God,
- In our loneliness, He is our Everlasting Father,
- In our conflict, He is the Prince of Peace.
As this year winds down, I am grateful for Christ, who is supreme. His grace is greater than our past failures. His strength is perfect for our present challenges. His faithfulness is guaranteed for our future. So, as we look back at the past year and look forward to the new year, take one more look up and see a God who is over all that was, is, and is to come.
Prayer: Father, as we cross the threshold into an uncertain future, may the certainty of Your supremacy be our reality. May we renew our confidence and hope in You and You alone. You are the God who was and is and is to come. Amen!
Reflection: Are there areas of this past year that you need to leave behind? Are problems in your present or fears for the future that you need to surrender to the Lord? Remind yourself of His supremacy over all things.
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