Hans Sangtoki Bible Reading: Psalm 37
“Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” (Psalm 37:3-6)
What are your new year resolutions? A lot of the time, we make resolutions because we want to improve ourselves. We want to be better people than we were in the last year. This is all good, and we ought to strive for growth all the time. But, the question is, what is our definition of ‘good’?
Our ‘good’ is often defined as becoming prosperous. We want friendships to prosper, family to bloom, personal habits to improve so that life would be more easy-going. We always seek a more comfortable and joyful life. These things are not wrong. However, there are no joys or eternal comfort to be found in becoming prosperous in worldly things.
Our relationships with friends and family, as well as our personal circumstances, can fluctuate. There will be good times and hard times. We might not always enjoy the financial luxuries we do, and future days could become tough from circumstances outside our control. More than that, all these pleasures are like grass that fades away. They are here today and wither away tomorrow.
So what should we be resolving in this new year?
For me, I am resolving to be the godly man David describes in Psalm 37. This man does not fret over the godless’ prosperity nor about their vain lifestyle. He knows there is something more precious — eternal things. For the godly, trusting in God is their treasure. They learn to obey and follow their beloved Master faithfully. They learn to make God the delight of their heart. When this becomes the case, God gives them their heart’s desires because what they desire is what God desires too.
The godly surrender every day of their lives to God’s ways and leading. When God’s leading seems humanly impossible, they trust that God will deliver them, that He will act. They trust that God will not forsake those whom He has made righteous. Patiently, they rest in patient waiting in God’s refuge. They can be still before God’s presence and entrust all things into the hands of their Lord. Although this man may fall, his steps are established by the Lord, and he will never fall out of God’s reach, for God is upholding them.
At the beginning of this year, resolve before God one thing — to surrender your whole heart and life to trust in Him. When you trust God to become your delight, the director of your life, your refuge, your place of quiet rest, your Master, all things in life fall into their place, making everything beautiful in its time. The godless do not know of such eternal prosperity reserved for the godly who on the outside may not look prosperous at all. May God help us as we dedicate our whole lives to Him once again.
Lord, we thank You that we may enter the new year. If you give us the grace to live, grant us also hearts that fear You. We surrender our whole hearts and lives to You once again at the beginning of this year. Teach us to trust You even more, this year. We are your servants. Guide and use this life in this new year as You please. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Hans Sangtoki (18) is the coordinator of RE Generation Z. He has a passion for serving his generation and sharing hope in Christ. He also has an interest in classical music and dreams of conducting an orchestra one day.