23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
24 But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.
Jeremiah 9:23-24
Great God of creation. We bow before You boasting of Your greatness and Your glory. No one compares to You. No one is Your equal. We look at Your creation and marvel at the infinite power and wisdom that are Yours. Nothing is beyond Your reach. “You bring out all the starry host one by one, and call them each by name. Because of Your great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing…You pitch a tent for the sun…It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat…Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.” [1] There is nowhere in all the Universe where You are not. Surely Your arm “…is not too short to save, nor [Your] ear too dull to hear.”[2]
God of our fathers. Lord of the nations. Our hope is not in man or in a government or in this nation. Our hope is in You.
You are the One who will bless us as we come in and bless us when we go out. You are the One who will grant that the enemies who rise up against us will be defeated before us. You are the One who will send a blessing on everything we put our hands to. You are the One who will grant us abundant prosperity. You have promised us all these things and more if we “make You the head, not the tail” … If we pay attention to your commands and carefully follow them.[3] So on this day, we choose to place our hope in You. We choose to obey You. Because we fully trust in You.
Therefore, in 2017, if “…the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord,”[4] we trust in You. If “…the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging,”[5] we trust in You. Though …”nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall…,”[6] we trust in You. When …”the wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright…,[7]” we trust in You. We trust You. We trust You!
And now, God of grace, as we pray for the New Year, we ask for a smooth transition of power in our local, state, and national government. Yet underneath our earnest prayers for our nation is an even greater prayer for the church. Please. Send down Your Holy Spirit in fullness. Ignite the fire of revival in the hearts of Your people. Hear us. Forgive us. Heal us. Bless us as we remain obedient and alert while we keep on praying. And as we keep on watching. Is 2017 the year of Your return? We hope so! Come Lord Jesus![8]
For the glory of Your name…
Amen