Into the New Year, God Goes Before Us
Text: Exodus 23:20-33
“Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.” (Exodus 23:20 ESV)
The New Year is upon us and it’s a time of closing one chapter and opening another. Our family likes to spend some time during the New Year’s holiday reflecting on highlights from the previous year, maybe watch some home videos or browse through some photos to cherish the memories we made, and share a festive meal together. This year it’s homemade sushi—a Larche tribe favorite!
A new year is also an opportunity to take time for self-evaluation and introspection, to realign ourselves with the priorities we value most, and to saturate our hearts with the promises of God’s Word, afresh and anew. Here’s a great tool for that.
A particular promise I want to encourage you with today is found in Exodus 23:20. It was God’s promise to Israel as they were transitioning from a season of wandering into a season of stability. They were soon going into their Promised Land and God assured them that He would send His angel to go before them, into the place that He prepared for them. They were not to be afraid of anything because the angel would take care of everything—including their enemies. They only had to pay careful attention to the divine voice guiding them.
The same principle is true for followers of Jesus Christ today. Not only is it true that Jesus goes before us to prepare a place for us in heaven (John 14:2-3), but the place we walk in today was prepared by God, and where we will walk tomorrow is also prepared by Him. He always goes before us.
You can face your future with great confidence because God is already there.
How might that affect your life going in to this new year? Knowing that God has already gone before us to prepare a place of destiny should be comforting to our souls. It should also swell our faith that regardless of what troubles, trials, sicknesses, adversaries, financial obstacles, or hardships await us, God is already there preparing to sustain us, to strengthen us, and to increase our influence for His glory in the world (1 Peter 5:10).
God never sends you into a situation, or a season, alone. He always goes before you. He stands beside you. And He walks behind you, redeeming every past failure. You can face your future with great confidence because God is already there.
Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your promises. You have given us your Word that you will always go before us and prepare a place for us. Help us to be comforted by the fact that we will face nothing this coming year that you haven’t already confronted on our behalf. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
You will face nothing in your future that God hasn’t already confronted on your behalf.
Other resources to help you bring in the New Year with great resolve:
- 20 Inspiring Bible Verses to Bring in the New Year
- New Year’s Self Evaluation and Introspection (a family discussion guide)
- 10 Challenges for the New Year
- Are You Going to Have a Big Ask New Year?
- The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards
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