Reflecting & Anticipating

The last week of December is a significant week in my home. During this week, I do my best to carve out space to spend intentional time both reflecting on what the Lord did throughout the previous year, as well as anticipating what the Lord will do in the coming new year. While this is a spiritual discipline that can be practiced any day of the year, for me, it seems natural to align it with the calendar turning of a new year. A time to reflect. A time to anticipate.

In Psalms 77:11-12, David gives us a glimpse of this spiritual practice as he wrote, "I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds."

As I reflect back on 2025, here is what I remember about the Lord:

God was tangibly present.

God was providentially involved.

God was faithfully at work.

These three reflections were tangible this year in ways like never before. In fact, God's tangibility throughout 2025 is a testament in and of itself that He sees, cares, invests, and rescues. I say that because in my younger to mid twenties when my undiagnosed OCD was out of control and spiraling me into suicidal obsessions, I stopped believing in the presence of a god all together, much less in the God who providentially sees and faithfully works. That means that for over a decade, God has been patiently, faithfully, and providentially involved in my life through even the tiniest details.

Knowing this about the character of and the heart of God has exploded my faith in and my trust in Him. Now, more than ever, I believe that God is real, that He sees, that He cares, and that He moves in and around me. This tangible awareness anchors my soul, calms my spirit, and renews my mind in ways that lead to absolute freedom, abundant joy, and unshakable peace.

In 2025, God's faithfulness most stands out to me as I really meditate on all the things that have worked together for my good and for His glory over the last 10+ years. And so as I look ahead into 2026, I can confidently anticipate that God's faithfulness will continue working for, through, and around my life. This confidence in God's faithfulness  inspires me to walk open handedly into 2026--releasing anything (habits, sins, fears, etc) that could withhold me from experiencing God to the fullest and instead embracing the things and people that lead me deeper into the presence of God and His will over my life.

As I anticipate 2026, here are the ways I look forward to seeing the Lord at work:

For God to display His presence through Holy Spirit revival (in my heart, home, family/friends, community, & generation).
For God to display His providence by aligning my spiritual gifts and experiences with His divine calling over my life.
For God to display His faithfullness by continuing to restore and reconcile the areas my life that I thought were un-healable.

I want to leave 20225 and enter 2026 with this encouragement for us all, "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9) . May we aim to faithfully pursue God as we reflect on His own faithfulness and anticipate His continued faithfulness.