In the beginning...

​Scripture:  Genesis 1:1   “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”
Observation:  The word ‘beginning’ jumped out at me right away.  It is the start of a New Year – a new beginning.  Scripture today covers the very beginning of earth, and the beginnings of the New Covenant.  Great places to be in Scripture today.  The only thing better, might be to include John 1. 
God had created everything as ‘good’.  Because of sin, the world became fallen and such things as sickness, death, and addiction became common in this world.  Many of our lives have been frustrated because of these things.  Just this week we have been praying for a woman in a coma because of an accident, and a woman whose knee surgery went bad. We’ve had 3 killed in a church in Texas and five stabbed at a Hanukkah gather in New York City.  I am praying daily for two young adults struggling from the effects of addiction. And it is only Wednesday.
Application:  We live in a fallen world, and we have to be aware of what is going on around us, but there is no reason to let our past drag us down and there is no reason to let fear rule our lives.  Today, we launch into a new year and a new decade.  What a great time to put the past in the past. 
Lamentation 3:22-25 ring in my heart this morning: 
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;[b]
    his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
    to the soul who seeks him.
 
Today is a good day to start new.  Join me in seeking the Lord in a new fresh way through His Word and through prayer.
 
Prayer:  Father God, you are the great I Am (Exodus 3:14).  You are the banner (Exodus 17:15) of protection over us.   You are our provider (Genesis 22:14).  You are our ‘portion and our cup’ (Psalm 16:5). Let us turn ourselves, and our friends, and our family members completely over to your loving and merciful care and protection. Let us leave our fears and anxieties in the past and go forward boldly in the confidence of your love with hope for a better today and tomorrow.
 
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13)