Just thinking as we are about to embark upon a new year, about the great comfort it is to know that God is always near, always with us. Jeremiah 23:23-24 reminds us that because He is omnipresent He is everywhere, all at once, as He is. That is, God in all His might and beauty and perfections is a constant companion through all the paths our lives may take. He is all knowing, all mighty, all merciful. All that He is as God is in all places, all the time. This can be a great comfort to us who follow Jesus Christ. In all the good times this new year may afford us, as well as the difficulties and challenges that will certainly come, we are strengthened by knowing that there is nothing of which He is not aware. That includes the past, present and future. He can bless, make right, deliver and carry us through whatever the new year holds for us in the greatness of His eternal purpose. His purpose for our lives flows into His purpose for all life.
Because He knows all about the things that concern us we can approach Him with great confidence in prayer and worship. As Psalm 139 explains, He knows our innermost thoughts, our day to day experiences, our words and thoughts, His care is upon us constantly. By faith we appropriate His promises and follow His activity in our lives, since there is no place from which we can't call on Him and have access to Him because of Christ Jesus. So as we look back and sum up the past year, and look ahead by faith into the new year, may we be reminded of the comfort we have of knowing that our Great Shepherd is always nearby and quite able to do more than we can ask, think, or imagine.
