Facing the New Year

God’s way or man’s way? We face this choice many times and in many ways, every day of our lives.

Today we face many overwhelming challenges – political, economic and cultural. So, how do we meet these challenges of life - by trusting in God or by trusting in human institutions and ourselves?

Psalm 118:8-9 instruct us, “It is better to take refuge in Yehovah than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in Yehovah than to trust in princes.” Further, the Psalmist warns us “Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation” (Psalm 146:3). Twice David cried out to Yehovah for help because “deliverance by man is in vain” (Psalm 108:12; Psalm 60:11).

In the book of Jeremiah, scripture also teaches us that we offend God when we trust in men rather than in Him. “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from Yehovah. For he…will not see when prosperity comes” (Jeremiah 17:5-6). We are unable to deliver ourselves from the difficulties we face by depending on human solutions and ourselves. Worse yet, when we chose our solutions over God’s direction, we cut ourselves off from the blessing that will come from His solutions. We have made an idol of the human solutions by placing our trust in them instead of God.

The prophet Isaiah instructs us to “Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils” (Isaiah 2:22). Instead we should look to God who “gives life to all things” (1 Timothy 6:13). Solomon tells us to “Trust in Yehovah with all thy heart, and lean not upon thine own understanding: in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes” (Proverbs 3:5-7). With God’s direction, we can address the problems that entangle us.

Paul reminded the church that, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Jesus reassured His followers “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

This does not mean that Jesus is promising to make our lives easy – quite the contrary. Peter warns believers that it may be God’s will for them to suffer (1 Peter 3:17) but reassures them that “those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” (1 Peter 4:19).

We can be at peace and face our trials with joy knowing that nothing can separate from Jesus’ love, not “tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword” (Romans 8:35). “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

Our challenges are spiritual, “we wrestle not against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12); therefore, the only solution is God.