Job 42:2 – I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. (NIV)

Ephesians 1:11 – In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. (NIV)

When we are zipping along the Alaska Highway, my granddaughters love it if I open the power-operated windows in the back seat so that the exhilarating air rushes in. They yell and scream with delight, especially during the winter months when the frigid air engulfs them.

I leave the windows down only for a moment or two during the winter, though, before I press the button and they close automatically. The other week as the windows were closing, suddenly four-year-old Ade started screaming — but in pain, not in delight. "Open the window, Grammy," she shrieked. Immediately, I realized what had happened and hit the reverse button.

Her wee fingers had been pinched as she attempted to stop the window from closing. She had wanted the window to remain open. In her young mind, by hanging on to the top of it as it ascended, she thought that she could obtain her desire. Unfortunately, she learned a hard lesson. Fortunately, however, no real harm was done.

Likewise, we, too, can sometimes try to hang on to a specific moment, experience, time, or person in our lives, when God may be calling us to let it go. Life is forever changing. Nothing remains the same forever — nothing and no one except God, Whose purposes will not be thwarted.

As we have seen over the past two years, our lives have been dramatically changed due to the COVID-19 virus, something no one was anticipating. As we approach a new year, we are still in the throes of the changes that it is bringing to our individual worlds.

Yet, amidst it all, God is working everything out in conformity with the purpose of His will.

So, let us go forth into 2022 with joy and hope and faith in our hearts, willing to be still before the Lord and to be open to the guiding of His Spirit within us as to the best way to proceed.

Life has changed. Life is continuing to change, and perhaps, in our view, not for the better. But God has not changed, and He never will. So be assured that the year ahead, as well as each and every one of us, is in the best of hands, which is indeed an exhilarating truth and an open window of opportunity.

Prayer: Father God, thank You that we can know that no matter what is happening within our lives and world, Your plans and purposes cannot be thwarted. Your will shall be done — a will which always has the best plans in mind for Your people. Help us to still our hearts this day and in the days ahead that we might be quiet before You and discover the best way to proceed along the pathway of our lives. In Christ's name, we ask. Amen.

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About the author:

Lynne Phipps <lynnephippsatlin@gmail.com>
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada
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