New Years Show

This is Hans Schile from the Finishing Well Podcast.

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This is the Truth Network. Encouraging prayer. God offers an open invitation for His people to talk with Him at any time about anything. On Encouraging Prayer, Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling Prayers for Prodigals and many other books on prayer, provides weekly biblical insight to help you learn to love to pray. And now, here's James. Well, a happy new year from Encouraging Prayer, and along those very lines, James, what a title you have for this edition is, One Year Closer to Jesus, Are We Closer, you know, Than Ever, so to speak? Yeah, yeah.

Am I closer to Jesus on this day, January 1st, 2022, than I was on January 1st, 2021? It's a question we need to ask, isn't it? Oh yeah, I mean, and the beautiful opportunity that we have to be mindful of what builds that relationship this coming year. Yeah, and that's the thing that we want to talk about, you know, to just encourage each other in drawing closer to Him and realizing what's there, what's available to us in our relationship with Him, instead of, you know, I mean, we just got through Christmas being distracted by shiny objects. Bows and packages and ribbons, yeah. Yeah, and I mean, isn't that a metaphor for life?

I mean, so often it's the shiny objects, it's, oh, that thing that has to be done that really keeps us from life, from just being in His presence. And so that's what where we want to go today, and I came across a poem from none other than John Newton, the amazing author of Amazing Grace, and he wrote this book of hymns, old me hymns, I've talked about it before, but he wrote it with the genius British poet William Cooper, and he writes a poem about the beginning of the year, and could I read it? Oh please, please, I'm excited to hear it. Yeah, it's kind of hard hitting, so hold on.

Here it goes. See, another year is gone. Quickly have the seasons passed, this we enter now upon, may to many prove their last. Mercy hitherto has spared, but have mercies been improved? In other words, God has spared us with His mercy to live another year, but have I grown in His mercy? Let us ask, am I prepared, should I be this year removed?

And now listen to this in our age of COVID. Some we now no longer see who their mortal race have run, seemed as fair for life as we when the former year begun. Some, but who God only knows who are here assembled now, ere the present year shall close to the stroke of death must bow.

So he's not messing around. Keep going. Life afield of battle is, thousands fall within our view, and the next death bolt that flies may be sent to me or you, while we preach and while we hear. Help us Lord, each one to think, vast eternity is near. I am standing on the brink. If from guilt and sin set free, by the knowledge of Thy grace, welcome then the call will be, to depart and see Thy face. To Thy saints will hear below, with new years new mercies come.

But the happiest year they know is their last, which leads them home. Yeah, you gotta love that. And you know, it's fascinating. Just yesterday I heard this story about this rich man that had in his office, he had another room that he went into where there was a coffin. And in order for him to make sure that he wasn't doing anything that wouldn't last at some point in time during every day, he would go lie in it.

Oh my goodness. And think about what was important that would last for what he did today. Well, and that's the thing, you know, life passes so quickly. You think about how we have this tendency to say, well it seems like only yesterday that, and C.S. Lewis looked at that and said, that's because we were made to exist in eternity.

You know, a fish that's in water doesn't know that it's wet. Likewise, we look at time and we say, well it passes so quickly, as if, you know, we're meant to be with God forever. And so it's helpful for us to look at our lives and say, yes, am I? Am I closer to Jesus?

And if I'm not, then how can I be? And of course, so much of the key to that is prayer and being in the way, in the word of God. I think about Psalm 1, just the first three verses, blesses is the one who does not walk and step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers.

Look at that progress there. Walk, stand, sit. You know, you start in one direction, then you sort of tarry there, then you're stuck there. But whose delight is in the law of the Lord and who meditates or thinks about his law day and night? That person is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in seasons.

Leaf does not wither, whatever they do prospers. And you know what the psalmist is talking about there isn't more shiny objects, if you will, but the whole of life, a life that is truly blessed by God. And that means a life that's defined really by your relationship with him, most of all. Think about what Jesus said in Matthew 6 33. Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. So as you and I think about this question, am I closer to Jesus now than I was at the beginning of 2021? I think it's just great to turn that into a prayer.

Oh, absolutely. And I, you know, the thing you see in the psalmist that is so clear is he not only was in the Word, but he realized that the Word was Jesus, right? So as we're in the Word, but also as we're in prayer, it's in the same place. You're falling in love, right? With what is this relationship? We're so blessed to have both, you know, the Holy Spirit and the Word and all these things to point us in that direction that we can grow closer.

That's absolutely right, Robbie. And what we want is that relationship that is better than anything else. Again, seek first his kingdom and these things will be added to you. This year, oh, may it be a year where we look forward to Jesus, where we love him more, where we know his love and know his peace. And that starts by just reaching for him wherever we are, just reaching for him and loving him back because he loved us first. How beautiful it is to know he waits for us to reach for him. So let's just close with a prayer that we made. Lord Jesus, bless us, help us to love you, to be with you, to live in your presence more and more. Call on your name and to bless others that our lives may truly make a difference in your life and in your name. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray. This is the Truth Network.