Families4Him

It’s 2012! Another year has passed; another one is here.  It is a wonderful time to contemplate our “state of the union.” No, I’m not referring to our political state (even though we’re bombarded on the media about that right now), but I’m referring to the union with our covenant God. What did we experience from last year and what did we learn?

You and I are in a covenant relationship with God. That means it is a binding agreement that invokes a commitment of all parties to remain in “union.” With that in mind, how did you experience union with God last year? What are you carrying over into a new year in your journey with God?

Perhaps 2011 was one of those amazing years for you. Your family did well, your social environment was healthy, and your church involvement was faithful. Your personal life; relationships, finances, security, health and faith were mostly stable. There were some bumps in the road but, by and large, it was a good year. You feel your union with God was strong and secure.  He has blessed the last twelve months and you enter 2012 with a heart full of gratitude and devotion.

Others of you may have experienced 2011 vastly different. You may feel as though you’ve been in a valley the entire twelve months and you were secretly glad the year was over. You begin 2012 with hopes that it’s got to get better. Whether it was broken relationships, difficult finances, poor health or disappointing situations, you experienced a rough go of it. Your relationship with God was either characterized as strong (“He got me through it”) or disconnected (“I didn’t know what to say to Him”). Either way, you are possibly physically, emotionally and spiritually worn out as you enter into 2012.

Probably most of us were not exclusively in either of these two camps but a combination of living through some of both. Our experiences were as varied as our circumstances and consequently our expectations for 2012 are influenced by baggage we carry with us from 2011. That’s only part of the state of the union.  The other part is God.  

The fact that God is in covenant union with us is incredulous. We live in a sin filled world and much of our suffering comes from either our sin or other’s sinning against us. How can a holy, righteous, perfect God be in union with such depravity? He made a plan, an inconceivable sacrifice, so that this union might happen. It’s called grace. His end of the covenant is that no matter what happens in our lives, He will be with us. He gave us His Son, Immanuel, God with us. Listen to His heart:

                “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.    I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa 41:10)

                “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isa 43:1-3)

                “. . . and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20)
               
“I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory
 that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me.” (Jn 17:20-22)

Whatever we experienced in our past year, one thing can be for certain. God was with us. That’s His part of the union. If a union is as secure as the strongest part, then we are in a good place. We may have a list of circumstances we would like to ask God to remove for us this year (called prayer), but He may reply the same way He did to Paul’s request by reminding him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9)

May I encourage you to spend some time this New Year thinking about the state of your union. Is God’s grace truly enough?  Can 2012 be summed up with the words of the Psalmist:

                “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

                You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.

                Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

                My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart,

                And my portion forever.”  (Ps 73:23-26)