Make 2020 a Year of Hope
Fresh starts and new beginnings, it’s why so many of us enjoy the celebration of New Years. It’s a chance to let go of the past and start afresh. Sometimes that is a relief. At other times it’s difficult. Will you start 2020 with fresh hope?
It’s definitely not guaranteed. Hope can be scary…really quite terrifying. Hope can disappoint. As scripture says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Prov 13:12).
Why consider hoping again if there is a chance you will be disappointed?
Whether our dreams have to do with marriage, ministry, family, weight-loss or relationships, God wants us to start the new year with a fresh download of hope. He wants to release into our hearts a hope that has no limit, a hope that just won’t quit.
Fresh experiences of our Lord’s perfect love cast out every fear. Knowing His goodness enables us to hope, dream, and trust for the release of His promises. Our deepest God-inspired longings are given the freedom to fly. We can hope again.
Disappointment Makes Us “Realistic”
Have you ever really wanted something badly? As a child, it may have been a particular toy you hoped would be under the Christmas tree. You opened the gift, thinking it would be one thing, and then found it was not. It was not easy to disguise your disappointment. You got a book when you wanted a bike. Or something like that.
Children don’t try to hide their grief. When they are delighted, they show it. My neighbor’s daughter got a plastic tea set for Christmas. She jumped up and down, squealing with delight. But when kids are disappointed, they wail. Their sadness is loudly expressed. Covering our emotions is something we learn to do a bit later in life.
As adults, though we may not let ourselves wail, we experience deep disappointments. We hope for relationships restored, but instead experience anger, withdrawal, or verbal thrashings. We hope for healing, but find we are sicker than ever.
Maybe you prayed for something faithfully and consistently throughout 2019. Today, you feel no closer to seeing it become a reality than when you started. Or the ministry progress you dreamed of in 2019 fell far short of what you anticipated. “Maybe this year I need to make more realistic goals,” you think to yourself.
Don’t give in to hopelessness. It’s not what God has for you. He wants you to dream with Him for the New Year.
3 Principles for Embracing Hope in 2020
Look up, not back.
Instead of looking to the past to decide if you can hope again, look up. God alone is the source of our hope. When His love fills our hearts, we can hope again. As tempting as it is to base our decisions on circumstances, we need to base them on His Word and character. Look up, not back as you think about the New Year.
Be willing to risk.
When we have been disappointed, it is not easy to let ourselves risk again. So often, our past experiences dictate our willingness to hope for something different in the New Year. Being “realistic” leaves God out of the picture. It puts the God of the impossible on the shelf, the God who loves you and is able to do what you can not do. Take a risk and hope again.
Choose love.
I’m not sure if hope is a choice, but I know love is. It is a decision we make. We choose to love. The love chapter in 1st Corinthians speaks of this. I am struck this year, by a phrase from the International Standard Version- there is no limit to her hope.
“She bears up under everything; believes the best in all; there is no limit to her hope, and never will she fall.”
1 Cor 13:7 ISV
Setting Hopeful Goals for 2020
Over the next few days, I am setting aside time to prayerfully set goals for the New Year. Goals are different from the typical New Year’s resolutions…the ones we keep for about a week, or a month, then forget. That does little good.
Instead, look to God and listen. Ask Him what He desires to do in your life and ministry this year. When the goals come from listening to Him, they become achievable, hopeful goals you can go after with all your heart.
Do this for both personal and ministry areas. Reflect back on what happened last year. Think through the books you read, experiences gained, lessons learned and opportunities you were given.
As you look forward, listen to God. Ask Him to guide you as the New Year begins.
As is my habit each year, I will ask God, “What is one thing I can do this year that would make the biggest difference in seeing Your Kingdom advance?” I will be prayerfully charting out my year, making plans and decisions about where to invest my time and energy.
As you start the year, adopt a posture of hope with a heart full of faith. Put your hope in God and His goodness. His character, His promises, and His love are the foundation from which we can dream with Him about 2020.
If you are struggling to hope again in 2020, you are not alone. God wants to meet you there. Be honest and real about your emotions. Take time to get away for a few hours or days if you can. Invite God to meet you where you are. He longs to fill your heart with hope again.
Let me know in the comments what God is asking you to believe Him for in the New Year. Or join the Missionary Life Facebook Group and post your goals there.
Happy New Year! May 2020 be your best year ever!
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