Can you believe it’s already 2023? We’re always fully surprised by how fast the year passes. I personally swear we just celebrated Easter. How can it be the New Year already? And what does that even mean? Time is such an unusual concept.

I’ve always thought of time as a shape. The shape of a “U”. I’ve been in academia so long my years begin in August when school starts and end in May when school is over. The subsequent months following along the pull and curve of the “U” shape with June and July hanging out in the nothingness in-between the two lines of the “U”. So, for me, January is at the bottom right of the upturn of the “U”. Not necessarily the beginning of my year. And not the end. See, I told you the concept of time was different for each of us.

So when I think about the New Year, I don’t really think about starting fresh. Instead, I think of it as a time to regroup. Look back at the “semester” I just finished and ponder what I’d like to keep and what I’d like to change in the “New Year”.

My journey back to committing to God is coming up on its two-year reunion. The lessons I’ve learned over this past year have been hard and fulfilling, but necessary for growth, so as I head into the New Year I want to continue learning. I’ll be sharing that learning process soon, but for today, I’d like to share a lesson I learned while reading in the book of Nehemiah that I think fits perfectly at looking ahead into the New Year and something I’d like to change in my mindset going forward.

For those of you that haven’t read Nehemiah yet, basically he is a Jew that was an exile in Persia who was a valuable assistant to the King of Persia. He was also a very faithful follower of God and the law of Moses. Because he is so valuable to the King of Persia and because God’s hand was upon him, he gets permission to return to Jerusalem and start rebuilding the wall around the city.

Obviously, this is a very condensed explanation of Nehemiah, but what stood out to me about his story was how well versed he was in the history of the Jews. In chapter 9 he recalls the covenant with Abraham, the enslavement of the Jews by Pharaoh, and the fulfillment of the covenant of the Jews being led out of the wilderness and into the promised land. Of course, the Jews made many mistakes along the way, as we all do, but Nehemiah recalls the mighty mercy of our God.

He states, “…But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love…”(Neh 9:17) That last statement really got me. God is abounding in steadfast love. What does that mean, abounding in steadfast love? I got my answer in verse 21 when he states, “Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.” (Neh 9:21) Talk about a punch in the gut. Can you imagine your clothes never wearing out for 40 years while trekking around all day in the desert! And your feet never swelling or hurting? For FORTY YEARS!!! And he says they lacked nothing. All their needs were met. They were never hungry. They were never thirsty. Their needs were amply met.

God abundantly took care of them. He loved them so much that even though they were grouchy and complained a lot of the time, they wanted for nothing. That is the God we serve. That is the God that loves us abundantly. Who else loves like that? What an awesome Father we have. He is abundant in everything He does for us.

This is the lesson I want to take with me into the New Year. My God loves me abundantly. He provides for me abundantly. I will lack for nothing in His care. I’ve dealt with seasons of hard times, financially, mentally, emotionally, but through it all I’ve always lacked for nothing. I’ve always had food, a roof over my head, my needs were met. But when we put our trust in God he provides abundantly.

So folks, I hope that as you enter the New Year, you know that you are loved abundantly. God will meet all your needs. Don’t be afraid to put your full trust in God. Hey-if He can provide for the whole Jewish population for 40 years in the desert, then providing for you and me is a walk in the park.

He loves us abundantly.