Twice a year, the SBC of Virginia Women’s Ministry gathers to pray and seek God’s will for the upcoming year. Last year, through prayer, the Lord led me to a theme for this year: FOCUS 2020. Part of the plan of that theme was also “Expecting the Unexpected.” Well. That happened.
Now I have the opportunity to submit the final blog for 2020. There are no coincidences, my friends.
Many of us are more than ready to say “goodbye” to the year that has, at times, felt like a decade. Those who have suffered financially, lost jobs, lost loved ones, and have seen lives turned upside down by a microscopic demon have found themselves wondering where exactly all of this fits into God’s plan. This year, some of us landed on opposite sides of the “political fence” from our friends or colleagues, and we were left concerned and confused. The boiling point of racism was reached, and decades of anger and hurt and mistreatment forced us all to ask important and difficult questions of ourselves and of each other. And then there’s the whole “mask or no mask” thing. Give me grace. This, my friends, has been a year; some would say, “a year of biblical proportions.” Or has it?
Has 2020 been any more epic than the very first year? The year—the week—that God created the entire world? That was, um, big.
What about the year of The Fall? Truly historic.
How about this: God saw that the world was filled with sin, so He flooded the whole earth, and for forty days and nights, it rained. Then the waters receded and the earth could be repopulated. That was a moment in time worthy of the term, “biblical.”
And then there were the plagues. Don’t get me started about the frogs and the locusts and…
And finally some Good News: a tiny Baby was born in a stable and placed in a manger, literally splitting time. Talk about epic.
I could go on, but I think by now you get my point. Yes, this year has been a mess. It’s been a lot. It’s been hard. But it is the year that God allowed 2020 to be. The events of this year have never been outside of His control. Every single thing that happened was in accordance with the fact that we live in a fallen world and He is the only grace and mercy there is.
And nothing, not one thing, has ever taken Him by surprise.
So where exactly does all of this fit into His plan? Only He knows.
But we do know that the food and necessities distributed by networks of churches to those in need brought Him glory. The signs of gratitude held high to the weary healthcare workers at hospitals across the country showed His love. And the support for local businesses who only wanted to keep their employees working was a sign of His mercy. There were countless more moments of compassion, caring, and empathy done in His name.
So, while my personal theme of FOCUS: 2020 is coming to a close, I choose to focus on the One Who controls all of my days and cares for me in ways I cannot even imagine. I will focus on Jesus now and forever.
May God bless you and keep you now and in the coming year.