"Ready or Not"

No one knows what’s going to happen,

Life surprises, don’t you see,

You never know, how winds will blow,

Or what will come to be.

Some think it’s predetermined,

No freedom there at all,

What will be is fate, you see,

Or always it’s God’s call.

And I suppose it’s partly true,

Some things set in stone,

But I believe and have received,

And in my heart I’ve known,

The truth that God is in control,

But we still have a choice,

Cooperate or throw the gate,

When we hear God’s voice.

And, yes, it’s in the end, you see,

The Good Lord has His way,

But between now and then somehow,

There’s a battle day by day.

Loss and grief and tragedy,

Love and laughter, too,

The changing dance of circumstance,

And what we’re called to do,

Is learn to live it thankfully,

Depending on God’s grace,

His faithful care is always there,

So daily seek His face.

Value every day that comes,

And live it to the max,

Maximize and realize,

When we are over-taxed,

That we can turn to Jesus,

He is our Shepherd true,

He knows our name, always the same,

He’ll keep His promise, too.

Ready, let’s get ready,

For what God has in store,

Though unknown, by grace we’ve grown,

To trust the Savior more.

No one knows what’s going to happen,

So put it in God’s hands,

The way to go, He says He’ll show,

According to His plans.

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope…” (Jeremiah 29:11, NLT).

This word was spoken to the children of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah when they were going into a seventy-year captivity in Babylon. But the Lord was making a promise to them about what would happen after that. This promise is ours through Jesus Christ, and what an encouraging word! As we face the new year, let us remember that God is for us, not against us. He desires to bless us with a future and a hope, and has a plan to make it happen. Our calling is to cooperate with that plan.

Lord, help us follow Your plan and receive Your blessing, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Tim Cox, timcox.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.