2013: Here We Come....Ready or Not

As we flip our calendars over to 2013, the sense of expectation is high.  Graduations, weddings and vacations are eagerly penned in with great anticipation.  Noticeably absent from these pages are the countless disappointments and losses that you and I will undoubtedly face in the next 12 months.

Author and theologian Dr. R. T. Kendall addressed this on a recent Family Talk broadcast, "Totally Forgiving God I-II" discussing an age-old dilemma he calls the "betrayal barrier." He purports that when we are wronged or kicked in the stomach by life's sucker-punches we often hit a wall and have a choice:  defiantly resist, or open our palms upward and surrender to God's omnipotence.

It's a profound concept for me, and one I struggle with partly because I have an overdeveloped sense of justice:  when I'm misquoted or misrepresented, I'm ticked; when a healthy friend is diagnosed with a fatal illness, or a godly woman's husband walks out on her, I stammer for an explanation.

However, I'm learning that my reliance upon God has little to do with fairness or even vengeance.  Instead it has everything to do with the unwavering recognition that I serve a God who sees all and knows all.  Another Family Talk broadcast guest (and cancer fighter) Dr. Ken Hutcherson puts it this way:  Either God is sovereign....or He is not!

Habakkuk 3:17-18 hits me squarely between the eyes in this regard.  After recounting Jehovah's glorious strength and power from years gone by, the prophet concludes thus:

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on  the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Sometimes it helps to adopt a modern-day filter:

Though the economy has faltered and there are no job prospects on the horizon,
though the milk has spoiled and there's no money in the bank to purchase more,
though there is no car in the drive way and no friends around to offer me a ride,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

I'm not suggesting we play a game of denial.  We don't pretend to eat dinner when the plate is empty, or mime driving an imaginary car to a non-existent job.  No.  But based on a constant reminder of God's faithfulness to me in the past, I am compelled to summon every ounce of my will and place my trust in this very same God for the yet-to-be seen year ahead.

For some of us, this question of God's authority in our life will come early in 2013.  We'd be wise to choose our response now.