“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17
The days on the calendar of this year have come to the last page. What a year my calendar has been through. Job and I are celebrating that 2025 is over and turn over everything to the Lord Jesus in 2026. While Haiti is still facing some huge challenges with violent gangs and vodou, God’s children are still walking closely with our Heavenly Father every day. Trinity HOPE is now providing meals in 301 Christian schools throughout the country; a huge blessing today and tomorrow. God’s blessings continue to flow in Haiti, here and everywhere in this fallen world; if you look for them. I’m closing on this last day of the year with the words from the ‘Blessings’ song by Laura Story. It was released in 2011. I chose this song because there have been many blessings in my life this past year and probably quite a few that I missed and put into the basket of pain. How about you? Please read the words to the Blessing song and then jot down a few of the blessings you have received this past year. I hope that something you said or did to another soul along their journey has showed up on their list too.
“We pray for blessings; we pray for peace. Comfort for family, protection while we sleep. We pray for healing, for prosperity. We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering. All the while, You hear each spoken need, yet love is way too much to give us lesser things. 'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops, what if Your healing comes through tears. What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near. What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise. We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear. We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near. We doubt your goodness, we doubt Your love. As if every promise from Your Word is not enough. All the while, You hear each desperate plea and long that we'd have faith to believe. When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win. We know that pain reminds this heart that this is not our home. What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy. What if trials of this life; the rain, the storms, the hardest nights are Your mercies in disguise. 'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops, what if Your healing comes through tears. What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near. What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise.”
Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus
Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May our Lord Jesus abundantly bless, protect and comfort you in this coming new year,
Jay and Job