“And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.””
Revelation 21:5
In September 1939, Britain declared war on Germany. A very dark period in history – eventually known as Word War II – had begun. And,without the advantage of the hindsight we now have, it is worth noting that nobody knew who would win the war. King George VI addressed the people of England by way of a radio broadcast on Christmas Day, 1939, one week before the world would enter a new year. He quoted the following words, which are part of a poem written by Minnie Haskins.
“I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year,
"Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."
And he replied, "Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way."
May that Almighty Hand guide and uphold us all.”
By God’s grace, the Allies won that war, albeit at the cost of millions of lives. As we enter the brand new year of 2019, we have no inkling as to what blessings, or what difficulties, this year may hold for us. We can be deeply thankful that we currently live in a time of national peace, however, the spiritual battle rages on. And the fact that we live in a fallen world means that we continually face disappointments. And we may well wonder if 2019 will be a year of joy and refreshment, or if it will be a year of trials and tears?
But one thing we can be absolutely certain of, our God is in sovereign control of His universe and of our lives. As Minnie Haskins articulated, and as King George understood, it is better to face the unknown future, trusting in the God who has your future in His hand, than to know the future, but not know the God who controls it. Moreover, God has promised, “Behold, I am making all things new!” May God enable us, in this new year, to bear up under the trials that He allows into our lives, for His glory and for our good, having our hearts fixed on that glorious reality when He does indeed make all things new!