Each January many sit and write lists of ways that they aim to make themselves better in the coming year. Is setting resolutions just a part of our culture, or are there Biblical principles we can glean from this exercise?
The first scripture that comes to mind is ‘Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.’ (Proverbs 29:18). The King James Translation says, ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ If we don’t plan, we die. If we don’t take the time out to plan to live by godly principles, then we will cast off restraint and be led astray.
The second scripture is Habakkuk 2:1-2. In Habakkuk 1, the prophet lays out a complaint to God who responds. After his second complaint, he starts chapter 2 by saying, ‘I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what He will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.’ As we write our resolutions, God must be present. He must be the One we are waiting on for vision and direction. Then when He answers, as in Habakkuk 2:2, ‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it,’ we should do as it says. Write the vision so that there may be follow through.
When Pharaoh had the dream of the years of plenty and years of famine in Genesis 41, a plan had to be made to ensure that the people of Egypt didn’t starve. There is no room for dreaming alone. Dreams should become plans and then action has to be taken. Once God has given the vision, it is our responsibility to write down what He has said and devise a plan to accomplish it.
Resolutions give us a chance to put our faith in God. As we plan with Him for the year ahead, we can trust Him to lead us and then believe that He will do the great things He has promised.
As Christians, we do not write our future vaguely and without purpose. We are not taking shots in the dark and hoping for the best. We walk with God and we ask Him to guide our steps; we ask Him to show us our aims for a given year.
So go and prayerfully write resolutions for 2017 if you have not already. The goals you set this year as you seek the Lord could very well be what separates you from the pattern of the world.
(c) Article written by Bekiwe Hlongwane
