Trusting the Great Rampart As We Go Through the New Year

On the 1st day of the New Year, we meditated and reflected on the past and current year we’re facing.

We are joyful and celebrating the faithfulness of God in our lives. The words in Psalm 16:5-8 are glowing in truth:

⁵ Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.
⁷ I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night, my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

We visited Bluff, considered New Zealand’s southernmost town, on 28 December 2015. A seaport town, it is one of the earliest European establishments in NZ.

We took the chance to climb the historic Bluff Hills Lookout Point, which offers a beautiful view of Bluff’s immediate and distant surroundings.

The view from up there was astounding, but it’s only as far as your eyes (or radar) can see.  

No one can see what lies beyond except to get on a boat and travel through the haze of fog looming on the southern horizon.

So it is with facing and living through another New Year. We don’t know what lies ahead of us.

Unlike sightseeing or visiting beautiful places, where you can choose to remain stationary and watch, we cannot remain immobile as we live through the years of our lives.

We have to go through life facing the new year, going through the days and months without any explicit knowledge of what will happen.

What makes us confident is the Almighty God, who guides and protects us always.

There would surely be people who would try to distract you from your faith journey. There will be envious people who will criticise and put you down. However, they can only try, but they will never succeed.

Remember that the Lord is with you; He always provides for your security, and your delightful inheritance is sure.

May our faith and trust be in God, the Great Rampart that cannot be shaken.

As Psalm 91:4 says, “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings, you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

Let us live through 2016 with much vigour and enthusiasm for the surprises God has set along the way.

There’s no other way to beautiful living than unpacking the heavenly treasures He showers us on this earth.

Great is Thy Faithfulness, O Lord!