HAPPY NEW YEAR, friends!
I can't speak for you, but for me?
2017, man... good riddance!
Today starts the very very beginning of a brand new year! Blank Calendars, Day Planners, and Hope-filled Goals stare us down, waiting to be written and planned and lived out loud!
I can't speak for you, but for me?
2017, man... good riddance!
Today starts the very very beginning of a brand new year! Blank Calendars, Day Planners, and Hope-filled Goals stare us down, waiting to be written and planned and lived out loud!
No matter how 2017 unfolded for you all, here we stand in the freshness of 2018 with a clean slate, a new chapter, a brand new year just waiting for us to step into it and begin again...
New Years Day, for me, always starts out the same way...
For years, I have made it my practice... my discipline, my habit, to find some quiet space and a little unscheduled time to sit and bask in the Presence of my God.
I ask the Lord for a word or phrase that will speak prophetically over the coming year. I also ask Him to lead me to a book in the Bible that He wants highlighted through out the year. They tend to go hand in hand... He's pretty smart like that!
New Years Day, for me, always starts out the same way...
For years, I have made it my practice... my discipline, my habit, to find some quiet space and a little unscheduled time to sit and bask in the Presence of my God.
I ask the Lord for a word or phrase that will speak prophetically over the coming year. I also ask Him to lead me to a book in the Bible that He wants highlighted through out the year. They tend to go hand in hand... He's pretty smart like that!
A year ago, the Lord said "The Beauty of the Lord will manifest everywhere you go!" would be a prophetic word and a powerful reminder to look and see Him - everywhere we went!
The Book in the Bible was Acts!
I read through the Bible chronologically for the first time in 2017 and I read through the book of Acts several times... especially those times spent in hospital rooms and waiting rooms and in all those days where the Beauty of the Lord was hard to find... but find it (Him!) I did... and Acts stirred up my faith when I needed it stirred up the most!
Last year, through out all the Hard and Heavy, the Lord taught me up close and personally that the Beauty of the Lord is not just found in the obvious Spring Garden or Summer Sunset or Ocean views... It's also found in the Unknowns... --how, truly, our anchors holds. It's found in Resting, in the midst of the storm... It's found in Trusting, when it feels like everything is falling apart... It's found in grieving, because we know that we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize...
It's truly found both on the Mountain Tops, and deep in the Valleys, too!
And His Glory also is all around... which brings us on to this year ahead... and what I am hearing for myself and for you...
As usual, I'd been praying for a prophetic word or phrase for all of us... one we can look for and anticipate... one we can make room for and put into practice.
***
This is what I heard for 2018:
I prayed and asked for the Book in the Bible that would have significance this year and again, ever so clearly, I heard His voice.
--The Book in the Bible:
The Book of Proverbs
I mean... come on! We ALL need Wisdom, right?
The Book in the Bible was Acts!
I read through the Bible chronologically for the first time in 2017 and I read through the book of Acts several times... especially those times spent in hospital rooms and waiting rooms and in all those days where the Beauty of the Lord was hard to find... but find it (Him!) I did... and Acts stirred up my faith when I needed it stirred up the most!
Last year, through out all the Hard and Heavy, the Lord taught me up close and personally that the Beauty of the Lord is not just found in the obvious Spring Garden or Summer Sunset or Ocean views... It's also found in the Unknowns... --how, truly, our anchors holds. It's found in Resting, in the midst of the storm... It's found in Trusting, when it feels like everything is falling apart... It's found in grieving, because we know that we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize...
It's truly found both on the Mountain Tops, and deep in the Valleys, too!
And His Glory also is all around... which brings us on to this year ahead... and what I am hearing for myself and for you...
As usual, I'd been praying for a prophetic word or phrase for all of us... one we can look for and anticipate... one we can make room for and put into practice.
***
This is what I heard for 2018:
I prayed and asked for the Book in the Bible that would have significance this year and again, ever so clearly, I heard His voice.
--The Book in the Bible:
The Book of Proverbs
I mean... come on! We ALL need Wisdom, right?
"Here are kingdom revelations, words to live by, and words of wisdom given to empower you to reign in life, written as proverbs by Israel’s King Solomon, David’s son.
Within these sayings will be found the revelation of wisdom and the impartation of spiritual understanding.
Use them as keys to unlock the treasures of true knowledge." Proverbs 1:1-2 The Passion Translation
--The Phrase:
"The Hiding Place of His Glory
will be revealed!"
I heard this and wondered exactly what this means... I mean - I have my guesses... (which all start or are built around spending time in His Presence!) and then He led me to this verse, in Proverbs... because He is good in confirming His word!
So I believe we are called this year to thoroughly search out the deeper meaning of all that God says... and in our searching, we will find His Glory!
So, Hey There and Hallelujah to 2018!
I have this feeling that this is going to be a really great year!
What about you, sweet reader?
If you have not taken a moment or two to ask God if He has a word for you for 2018, I encourage you to do so!
It can be just one single word, or a phrase that He wants to sow in to you this year! I wrote about my OneWord for 2018 last week. (I'm pretty excited about it!)
Either way, I am praying that this post resonates with you and encourages you to press in and press on! He has good and wonderful things planned for you and for me, and He desires to make known the hiding place of His Glory this year! (I'll give you a hint... it's in you, because He is in you!)
Happy New Year, friends!
Let us continue to:
I'm linking up with the lovely writer communities linked below:
will be revealed!"
"God conceals the revelation of his word in the hiding place of his glory. But the honor of kings is revealed by how they thoroughly search out the deeper meaning of all that God says."
Prov 25:2 TPT
So I believe we are called this year to thoroughly search out the deeper meaning of all that God says... and in our searching, we will find His Glory!
So, Hey There and Hallelujah to 2018!
I have this feeling that this is going to be a really great year!
What about you, sweet reader?
If you have not taken a moment or two to ask God if He has a word for you for 2018, I encourage you to do so!
It can be just one single word, or a phrase that He wants to sow in to you this year! I wrote about my OneWord for 2018 last week. (I'm pretty excited about it!)
Either way, I am praying that this post resonates with you and encourages you to press in and press on! He has good and wonderful things planned for you and for me, and He desires to make known the hiding place of His Glory this year! (I'll give you a hint... it's in you, because He is in you!)
Happy New Year, friends!
Let us continue to:
I'm linking up with the lovely writer communities linked below:
...And last but not least...
The Winner of our
Erin Condren Life Planner GIVEAWAY is:
BARBIE SWIHART!
(I will message you info and get this ready to ship off to you asap so you can start using it!)
(I will message you info and get this ready to ship off to you asap so you can start using it!)
Proverbs is one of my fave books in the Bible. Excited to see where it takes you this year.
ReplyDeleteMe, too! I love Proverbs and much like Psalms I tend to just open it up and read one or two at a time... but I'm looking forward to being a bit more intentional about slowly reading through them this year!
DeleteHappy New Year, Karrilee! I'm glad to be your neighbour at Tell His Story today! I like your idea of praying about a specific phrase and a book of the Bible to focus on for the year ahead. I have a word for the year, which is "focus", so maybe I should pray about whether there is a book of the Bible I should particularly focus on this year. I hope 2018 is better for you than 2017 was!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Lesley! "Focus" is such a great word... I'd love to hear what He tells you to focus on this year! I'm with you in hoping and praying and believing and declaring that 2018 is WAY better than 2017 was... for all of us!
DeleteCongrats to Barbie!
ReplyDeleteAnd Karrilee, I'm blessed to the bone by all the biblical insights you shared here! Thanks for this infusion of truth and light!
Thanks so much, Michele! Happy New Year! Here's to more infusions of truth and light through out the year! Blessings!
DeleteI always seem to wait until the last minutes...or weeks of January to see if I have a word. I'm still thinking and praying about it. Maybe I need to start earlier? May God be with you as a delve into his word this year!
ReplyDeleteAnita, take your time! I truly believe that our true words find us... continue to think and wait and pray... He will bring it to you in His timing! Happy New Year, my friend!
DeleteWell Missy, I can confirm the Proverbs - as I was looking over my bookshelf and I asked the Lord "I want to read one of my own books - what one should I read?" And, HS said "31 Days in Proverbs!!!" The Hiding Place of His Glory. WHEW. Can we even stand it? There is a scripture (address not coming to me) "God shares His secrets with a few." O! I long to be one of the few. Love you, little sister in Christ. xo
ReplyDeleteYes and Amen for confirmation! I love it! And you... and I am with you... CAN we even stand it? I think we are made to... I mean, His Glory is in us because HE is in us, right? So... it will be fun to see where His hiding place of His Glory turns out to be! (I suspect it will show up wherever we make space for it to! Much like Wonder... it turns out, it's all around us if we will but slow and look!) xoxo
Delete