While many people look forward to ringing in the New Year with festive celebrations and fireworks, others may not feel very hopeful or excited for the coming year. Surrounded by difficult circumstances or struggling through a painful loss, they wonder how they can make it through a day, let alone move forward with another year of their life.
After the loss of my mother in 2016, I struggled to find hope for the future, especially around the holidays. However, I have since learned that the light of Christ can break through any dark season, even the uncertainty of a new year.
If your future seems bleak, then consider the following points about how you can have hope for the New Year. Although we cannot know what the year ahead will bring, we can trust in the One who does.
In His light, we will find the strength to walk through the shadows of painful days, knowing the Author of life is guiding us.
1. Look Back to Christmas and Ahead to Easter
In the events that took place at Christmas and Easter, we find the answer to evil, pain, and suffering in the world. At Christmas, we remember that Jesus, God the Son, came to earth in human flesh to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21-23; John 1:14; Philippians 2:6-8).
At Easter, we meditate on Christ’s death and resurrection, which gives salvation to all who believe (Romans 10:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
To rescue us, Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins (1 Peter 2:24). He did this even though we were His enemies (Romans 5:8, 10). When we trust in His death and resurrection, we receive the gift of salvation and eternal life.
No longer are we enemies separated from God, but sons and daughters (John 1:12). In Christ, we have an assured hope of a wonderful future with Him (John 14:1-3; Revelation 21:3). Until that time, we can find encouragement in our relationship with Jesus.
If you have not trusted in Jesus for salvation, then you do not have a secure and solid hope. Finding happiness and hope in circumstances, items, or relationships will only leave you discouraged because these things are constantly changing and can disappear in an instant.
A relationship with Jesus is the only way to salvation and hope in this dark world (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
If you are a believer, then reflecting on the truth of Christmas and Easter can rekindle hope. Our humble Savior lovingly came to earth to die in our place, and He continues to love us.
Even when our life situation is difficult, or we fear what the future holds, nothing can change the fact that God cares for His children.
As Romans 8:38-39 reminds us, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (emphasis added).
2. Prioritize Your Relationship with Christ
Another way to have hope in the New Year is to prioritize your relationship with Christ. Eternal life means we have a relationship with the Lord that will never end (John 17:3).
Spending time with Jesus, then, is essential to our growth as disciples and to renew our hope. Instead of remaining fixated on an uncertain future, we can rest securely in our relationship with Christ (Matthew 11:28).
A vital part of relationships is communication. We need to talk to the Lord and listen to Him. We can pray to God and tell Him how we feel about the coming year, expressing all our fears and doubts. Although He already knows how we feel, He wants us to come to Him because He loves us (Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7).
Just as He listens to us, we also need to listen to what He tells us by reading His Word. The Bible is the living Word of God, which is relevant to our lives (2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12).
The Holy Spirit, the Author of Scripture, can point out important truths as we read, and He helps us understand passages that are relevant to our situation (2 Peter 1:21; 1 Corinthians 2:10, 14).
A beneficial approach to Scripture is to pause and pray as you are reading the Bible. This makes reading an active process where you are communicating with the Lord and listening to the truth of His Word.
Furthermore, we also stay rooted in Christ by worshiping Him. When we praise Him, we remember how much greater He is than our problems and fears (Psalm 18:1-6). Worshiping Christ takes the focus off ourselves and turns our eyes back to the Lord.
3. Trust God in the Present
In addition to spending time with Christ, we can also find hope by trusting God in the present. The future often looms in front of us threateningly. Despite all our efforts and plans, we can never know the future. However, we know that God does, and we can choose to trust Him each day.
As Jesus tells us, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:34, NLT).
Worrying does not add anything to our life (Matthew 6:27). Instead, we just fret about things that may never occur. Jesus does not want us to be overwhelmed with fear but to trust Him.
We can make a step toward a hopeful New Year by taking each day at a time and intentionally choosing to trust in the Lord. The more we consistently trust Him, the more we will find hope knowing that God is with us, walking through every moment by our side (Matthew 28:20).
We will discover the truth that “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me” (Psalm 28:7a).
4. Remember the Promises of Scripture
Finally, hope is available through the promises of Scripture. Suffering and pain are present in the world because of sin, but these things will soon end. Christians throughout time have found hope looking forward to Jesus’ second coming.
The Book of Revelation tells us that God will wipe away every tear from our eyes and that death, crying, and pain will no longer occur (Revelation 21:4).
Furthermore, we can look forward to the future resurrection when our bodies will no longer be subject to death and decay.
Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we have the assurance that we will also be raised (1 Corinthians 15:23; 2 Corinthians 4:14). Death is a sting, but it does not have the final victory (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
The Bible also promises that believers will dwell forever with God in the beautiful, Eternal Kingdom. As Revelation 21:3 says, “He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them” (NLT).
Our eternal hope and glory far outweigh our present troubles (see Romans 8:18). Thus, we can look forward with joy to Jesus’ return and our eternity with Him.
What Does This Mean?
While the thought of another year may cause some people to feel fearful because of hardships in life, we can find hope knowing that God is with us and He cares.
Remembering His loving sacrifice and active work in our lives, we can lean into our relationship with Christ and rest from our worries, taking one day at a time.
Therefore, as you face the New Year, remember that Jesus is always with you. Even when current events look grim, He is always good. A better day is ahead for every believer, which is a truth we can cling to in dark and uncertain times.
My prayer for you is the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
For further reading:
How Should Christians Approach the New Year?
4 Unique New Year’s Resolutions
Why Do We Sing Auld Lang Syne at the New Year?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Maksym Belchenko
