From 2005 to 2011, one of the times I looked forward to the most was our Watch Night (New Year's Eve) service at church. (I’ve moved since then.)
It was just such a wonderful time to spend with my church family! We ate – and what's a good service without that? 
– and then we would have singing and preaching until midnight. Yes, midnight. You can't ring in the new year before midnight strikes, you know. It was just a truly joyful occasion as we would all find ourselves filled with hope for the coming year. I got to thinking of those who live on the flip-side, though. The people who don't find any hope or expectation in the year that's about to roll in. There are those who are stuck in the failures of the year that's closing, and they have no anticipation of upcoming victories...How sad! God wants us to use the new year to begin a *new year* and not stay so wrapped up in the one that's winding down!
Merriam-Webster says that hope is “desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment <came in hopes of seeing you>; also : expectation of fulfillment or success <no hope of a cure> “. Unfortunately, some people have no expectation or belief that their desires will actually be fulfilled! Ps. 71:5 - “For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.” Oh, how many people were full of hope in their youthful days! Remember that? When we were young and not as jaded by the world, hope – and happiness – were part of who we were...most of us, anyway. There was expectancy and promise in the days that were approaching. One of my favorite examples was the end of school. Oh, as the school year came to a close, we could barely get through those final days! Our minds were filled with the prospects of the long-awaited summer vacation! Even though the actual day hadn’t arrived, we had great expectation and belief that our desire would be fulfilled!
2 Cor. 5:17 – “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” So, when we're saved, we become new, no longer weighed down by our past. If the Lord extends that much grace, to give us a clean slate, shouldn't we give ourselves enough grace to at least drop the baggage of the past 365 days? True statement: The devil delights in our misery. And he knows if he can convince us to hang on to every little shortcoming, we are definitely going to be miserable! So, don't let him get the best of you! When he keeps reminding you of the defeats of the past year, you remind *him* that you have HOPE!
Another thing to let go of in order to make the new year brighter – the reigns! That's right, the reigns of our lives. I know we all have the issue of wanting to control our own life, but we can't forget that these lives of ours really aren't *ours*, but the Lord's, and He's in charge, no matter what. Once we stop trying to make our own decisions and just work within the ones He makes for us, hope for the future will come so easily! Those who are stuck in failure are the ones that have tried to orchestrate things. When we give it all over to Him, we release the reigns of control as well as the worry of the outcome. By relinquishing authority over our lives, we free ourselves up to live abundantly, and that includes knowing that even the failures are worked together for our good!
I hope when this New Year's Eve rolled around, you found yourself in a house of God somewhere, your heart filled with hope of the year to come! I think that's one reason that God set up the system of 'years', just to give us a way to sort of start over. Remember that each year is another opportunity for you to learn and grow as a Christian. And, as you learn and grow, you can take that knowledge to others, creating a network of impact for the Kingdom!
It was just such a wonderful time to spend with my church family! We ate – and what's a good service without that? 
– and then we would have singing and preaching until midnight. Yes, midnight. You can't ring in the new year before midnight strikes, you know. It was just a truly joyful occasion as we would all find ourselves filled with hope for the coming year. I got to thinking of those who live on the flip-side, though. The people who don't find any hope or expectation in the year that's about to roll in. There are those who are stuck in the failures of the year that's closing, and they have no anticipation of upcoming victories...How sad! God wants us to use the new year to begin a *new year* and not stay so wrapped up in the one that's winding down!Merriam-Webster says that hope is “desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment <came in hopes of seeing you>; also : expectation of fulfillment or success <no hope of a cure> “. Unfortunately, some people have no expectation or belief that their desires will actually be fulfilled! Ps. 71:5 - “For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.” Oh, how many people were full of hope in their youthful days! Remember that? When we were young and not as jaded by the world, hope – and happiness – were part of who we were...most of us, anyway. There was expectancy and promise in the days that were approaching. One of my favorite examples was the end of school. Oh, as the school year came to a close, we could barely get through those final days! Our minds were filled with the prospects of the long-awaited summer vacation! Even though the actual day hadn’t arrived, we had great expectation and belief that our desire would be fulfilled!
2 Cor. 5:17 – “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” So, when we're saved, we become new, no longer weighed down by our past. If the Lord extends that much grace, to give us a clean slate, shouldn't we give ourselves enough grace to at least drop the baggage of the past 365 days? True statement: The devil delights in our misery. And he knows if he can convince us to hang on to every little shortcoming, we are definitely going to be miserable! So, don't let him get the best of you! When he keeps reminding you of the defeats of the past year, you remind *him* that you have HOPE!
Another thing to let go of in order to make the new year brighter – the reigns! That's right, the reigns of our lives. I know we all have the issue of wanting to control our own life, but we can't forget that these lives of ours really aren't *ours*, but the Lord's, and He's in charge, no matter what. Once we stop trying to make our own decisions and just work within the ones He makes for us, hope for the future will come so easily! Those who are stuck in failure are the ones that have tried to orchestrate things. When we give it all over to Him, we release the reigns of control as well as the worry of the outcome. By relinquishing authority over our lives, we free ourselves up to live abundantly, and that includes knowing that even the failures are worked together for our good!
I hope when this New Year's Eve rolled around, you found yourself in a house of God somewhere, your heart filled with hope of the year to come! I think that's one reason that God set up the system of 'years', just to give us a way to sort of start over. Remember that each year is another opportunity for you to learn and grow as a Christian. And, as you learn and grow, you can take that knowledge to others, creating a network of impact for the Kingdom!