Grace and Peace

A few years ago the Lord started showing me a verse to keep in my mind and heart for the year ahead. I write it on a note card and put it on the windowsill in front of my computer at my desk.

I don’t always know up front why that particular verse will be important, but I trust that by the end of the year I will know exactly what He needed me to know.

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you. 
Deuteronomy 31:8  
This is my verse for 2025.

I have often been held back by a fear of what’s ahead, a fear of the unknown, a fear of failure and rejection. And this year has started out with some opportunities and changes that should frighten me. But I have a peace in knowing that the Lord is already there.

This has not always been my default mode of operation. My 5-years-ago self would be anxious and overthinking every situation, trying to figure out how she could plan ahead and control the outcome. She would be fixating on what she needs to do to overcome the situations or conquer the new opportunities. And then she would become disheartened realizing that she doesn’t have what it takes.

The background of this verse is that Moses, at age 120, was telling the Israelites that he would not be crossing the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land with them. He was passing the baton to Joshua to lead them on this next part of their journey.

He used the same words to encourage both the Israelites and Joshua in their uncertainty in the face of major changes, “The Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

Whatever new or unknown situations lay ahead this year, the Lord has promised that He is already there. He will be there when I arrive and will personally show me the way.

For us failing is involuntary. We don’t plan to fail, but sometimes it happens anyway. God does not have this uncertainty. He is unable to fail. When I submit myself to His plan, there will be success in just the way He planned it, at just the time He established. These details are not for me to know, but I can fully trust in His sovereignty.

Abandonment is a choice. People will let me down. They will bail out when the going gets rough. They will change their opinions to gain approval. They will leave me standing alone. God promises that He will never leave my side. I may turn from Him at times to go my own way, but He is always within arms reach. He will never choose desertion.

So I will meet this year of 2025, and whatever it decides to bring, with GRACE and PEACE.

The Lord is already walking ahead of me, He cannot fail, and He will not abandon me.

This year I have asked some friends to share their insights around Deuteronomy 31:8. I will be sharing those insights with you as guest posts here on my blog in the coming months. I pray that we all will be able to walk through 2025 with grace and peace.