The Bible Column - Happy New Year

“Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” Psalms 107:8,15,21,31
Happy New Year! I trust that 2020 finds you seeking to serve the Lord Jesus in whatever circumstances of life that you are in. The verse written above is repeated four times in Psalms 107, and is a cry of the Psalmist to all people to praise the Lord for his goodness and wonderful works. In verse 17 of this Psalm, we learn that even a fool, one who is perverse from the right way, can find the wonderful help of the Lord if they will cry unto the Lord in their trouble. (Verse 19)
Remembering the Lord’s goodness and His wonderful work directs our attention to the past. As we look back and consider all the help of the Lord in 2019 and beyond, we cannot but respond, “Our Lord is a good and wonderful God!”
Looking forward, as the Lord allows, we rejoice in the confidence of the faithfulness of our Lord and our God. Lamentations 3:23 tells us that the faithfulness of our Lord is “great”. His mercies and compassions fail not; they are new every morning. In Genesis 8:22 we learn further of our Lord’s faithfulness. After the universal flood in Noah’s day, he offered burnt offerings unto the Lord. God was pleased with Noah’s sacrifices. In the chapter’s closing verse the Lord gives this promise. “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”
Even the present winter weather is a fulfillment of God’s blessed promise of His continued faithfulness. While we do not know what the future holds, the believer in Christ knows the one who holds the future. We can and must trust Him. He is faithful. He is worthy. He died and rose again to pay for all our sins!