Did anyone else breathe a sigh of relief at the end of 2021 only to find yourself holding your breath yet again because of new restrictions? It seems like COVID isn’t quite done being the centre of attention and I have to say, starting the year off the same way we started 2021doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that this year will be better. 2022 doesn’t have to be great it just has to be better than 2021.
But the truth is, it doesn’t really matter how this New Year turns out. Our assurance doesn’t lie in us achieving our goals or accomplishing the resolutions we made January 1st. No, our hope is in God. Zechariah 9:12 says “Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope…” Return to your fortress- it’s a wonderful call back to what is really essential- not self advancement but a deeper connection with Jesus. He is our shield, our stronghold, the place we go and are safe, regardless of what happens around us, we are secure in Him.
We are prisoners to the Hope we have in Jesus Christ. Think about that for a second. Maybe a minute. We are prisoners, a people held captive, shackled and chained to…HOPE. No matter what we encounter this year, we are chained to hope in Jesus. A hope in Immanuel- God with us, to a hope in the Alpha and Omega, to a hope in the omniscient and omnipotent God. Chained to hope in a Father whose love for us knows no bounds.
So, as we look forward let us also return to a posture of dependence and submission to the Lord of the hope to which we are shackled.
by Kalesha Peters
