We’re already a couple of weeks into 2025, but I thought it would be nice to start my blogging year with a New Year themed post. This semester marks my last one in high school. And even though I still have about 5 months left of school, I have already had a crazy senior year. It hasn’t all been easy, but I want to share some of the lessons I have learned along the way about how to rely on God’s plans, remain joyful, and stay constant in prayer.
Trust in God’s Plans
Over the past (almost!) two years of my blog, I have written quite a bit about stress and how to cope with it. One of my favorite and hardest themes appeared last month in my Christmas post. It dealt with what it means to really trust God and to rely on Him even when things seem hopeless.
I’m not going to rewrite that post, but I do want to reiterate the theme: God always has the best possible plan, and we have to trust that He will work it out.
A favorite quote of coaches I have had in the past is, “They didn’t say it would be easy, they said it would be worth it.” While it might seem like a cheesy quote that you would find in a movie about an underdog sports team, there is a lot of truth behind it.
Trusting in God’s plans is not easy. And the Bible doesn’t pretend like it is. Jesus warned his disciples of the cost of following Him. It’s hard to trust that God is working through the bad things that have happened in your life. It’s hard to have faith that He had a purpose for the pain. And It’s hard to believe that God will bring beauty from the trials.
But He does. He knows what He is doing. God has a plan and He will accomplish it. He doesn’t give up and He doesn’t fail. In Philippians 1:6, Paul says,
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Even if we can’t see the results of our trials next week, next month, or next year, God does have a plan, and He will bring it to completion. And seeing the completed plan will be so worth any pain that goes along with it.
Joy in the Chaos
Earlier in the school year, I wrote about how to find joy in the chaos and busyness of life. Joy is not a fleeting emotion; it is not the same as happiness. Rather, I tend to think of joy as interrelated with peace. It is an underlying force that can truly only be found in God.
But so often, we let anxiety rule our lives. We forget that we can trust God and that He is working for our good. We let the worries of the present take over our minds. Philippians 4:7 says,
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
When we have this peace from God, peace that is so wonderful we can’t even understand it, true joy will follow. Our minds and hearts will be guarded by God’s peace, and anxiety will not be allowed to live there.
Anxiety may still battle for joy’s place in our hearts. But when we allow God’s peace and joy to fill us, anxiety will never win the war. It can never define us because who we are in Christ takes precedence.
Praying in everything
Something that I have been working on a lot in the past year is prayer. In the previous years, I have not always been very intentional in my prayer life, so I wanted to change that. As I mentioned here, over the summer I started journaling my prayers. I needed a way to focus on what I was saying and thinking and be meaningful in my time with God.
Whether you journal a prayer, whisper one from your bed or down on your knees, or silently pray a quick request or thank you in your day-to-day life, prayer is an extremely important part of our lives as Christians. When we lift up our needs, praises, and desires to God, we develop a closer relationship with Him. The more we talk to God, the more we learn about Him and His will for our lives.
But it’s not just about our requests. Praying for others is also extremely important. When we lift others up in our prayers, we are humbling ourselves and learning how to love others as we love ourselves. Prayer helps us to take a break from our own needs and wants and focus our attention on those of our friends, family, and even our enemies.
Philippians 4:8 says,
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
This is a beautiful list of what we can think about to bring us peace and joy in life. However, we alone cannot keep our minds on these. Through prayer, we focus our minds on true, pure, and excellent things and learn how to implement them in our day to day lives.
Not only is prayer helpful for our relationship with God, but it can also aid us in viewing our friends and family in a new light and strengthen our relationships with those around us. Both our relationships with God and others can give us encouragement and support when we are facing hard times. And if we’re not facing hard times, it allows us to be there for those who are, and it teaches us how to keep our minds on heavenly things, instead of things that are of this world.
I don’t know exactly what will happen as we go into the new year. Between graduating, moving, and starting college, I know there will be a mix of good and hard times. And it will likely be the same for you. But I do know that trusting God’s plans, striving to remain joyful, and praying in everything will make the hard times easier and the good times even better.
The words of Philippians 4:4-6, 9 sum up these ideas perfectly:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. . . What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Happy New Year!
Leave a Reply