A Different Kind of Resolution

Written by Gail Rodgers

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“Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long” (Psalm 25:4&5).

Kathy thought about the New Year as she filed away the boxes of last year’s paperwork. There were things she would like to do differently in this new year. Oh, there were the usual things most of her friends were claiming as their New Year’s Resolutions:

•   Lose weight
•   Stop smoking
•   Take more time for relationships
•   Set goals

Life Lesson: Biblical perspective on the end times
Experience It: Walk in the power of the Holy Spirit

The list went on. The office was filled with laughter and the prospect of hope for change that a new year would bring. Yet Kathy knew, in a week or so, the chatter would turn to the broken resolutions and very few of the hoped for changes would become a reality. She wanted something more for her life.

That night Kathy picked up her Bible and read Psalm 25. It was full of hope and an expectation of change that only God could bring to her life. She read it through a couple of times and underlined some verses that seemed to jump off the page, bringing fresh hope to her heart.

“Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long” (Psalm 25:4&5).

The second time she read it through it struck her… here was her New Year’s resolution! This would be the prayer of her heart everyday in this New Year. She grabbed a recipe card and wrote out the words, letting them soak into her soul. This was the change she wanted in her life…to keep her focus daily on the path God wanted her to walk in hope and in faith.

Take a little time over the next few days and read through Psalm 25 yourself. Consider reading it every day for a week and ask God to make the promise of hope come alive to your heart. Write verses 4 & 5 on a card or a sticky note and place it where you will see it regularly. Memorize it and let it soak into your soul and change your life.

Father God,
Thank you for the promise of hope You bring to my heart and my life. I do lift up my soul and my life to You now. I want to trust in You more fully this year. Tune my ears to hear Your voice more clearly. Teach me Your path and guide me in Your truth. In these changing days I need to discern Your ways for me. Help me to put my hope in You, not just occasionally or when I am in a hard place, but every day all day long. Thank you that You are God, my Savior! I ask this in the strong name of Jesus, amen.

Questions: Do you crave to be closer to God? How do you plan on growing closer to God this year? Read Psalm 25.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP: Hannah: a study in contentment

About the Author Gail Rodgers

Tags: Bible, discern, gail rodgers, lose weight, memorize, new year, New Year’s resolutions, prayer, promise, resolutions, Set goals, stop smoking

4 Responses to “A Different Kind of Resolution”

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Leah says:

January 26, 2011 at 2:24 pm

Dear Julie,

Sometimes our computers cache the old information and won’t let you see the new stuff. I recommend you hold down your shift key at the same time you press your fresh button on your browser. Let me know what happens.

Leah
Julie says:

January 25, 2011 at 11:53 am

I don’t understand this site at all….I get an email notification that there’s comments, so I come here….and nothing. Is there a better way to converse??
Cathy says:

January 25, 2011 at 11:11 am

I would like to put Jesus as my main goal and follow his path, his ways, his goals for my life. Thanks Gail
Julie says:

January 25, 2011 at 5:56 am

I just had to say that this is exactly what I needed to hear today; the promise of hope. Thank you!