This time of year I am waiting expectantly to to see how God will begin to speak to me about changes and growth He wants to see in me in the coming year. Soon after the beginning of 2014, He made clear the theme for my spiritual journey for the upcoming year. The first Sunday in January we sang a song at church I had heard before, but never really listened to or ever sung: “Oceans.” It became the theme of my life this year. When I first sang and really read the words to the song, I was so excited God had revealed to me so early in the year what He wanted to see in my life. Then as I continued to sing the words, the meaning became clear — going deeper with Christ usually meant struggle, total dependence and trust in new ways — usually happening through difficult circumstances.
I went from excitement to “Uh oh” to “Yes, Lord” as I quickly processed what this might mean. But what I thought was coming did not occur. Early in the year, our family faced two very difficult situations that were totally unexpected and came out of left field. But what I saw in each one was God’s hand giving direction. Both of those experiences led me from “Not again” to “Oh, Lord” to “Oh, is this part of going deeper?” By the time I realized God might be using this to deepen my faith, I was able to relax in Him and experience peace amidst the difficulty. And I truly have watched Him take me to deeper levels of trust.
Many other times throughout the year I’ve watched God work to shape my life: the loss of our pastor to cancer, training events with shipments missing essentials, friends’ marriages attacked by the enemy, women’s leaders struggling with crises and feelings of worthlessness, friends’ children facing unfounded legal issues against them. In each one, I’ve watched God work and I’ve grown more in love with Him.
He has also balanced the struggles with the blessings in so many ways this year. Our training events have grown in attendance and in positive responses from the attendees. He has given me more energy than ever in a season busier than ever, which is no less than answer to prayer. It has almost felt like the Lord has smiled down on our ministry in a unique way this year, and we have praised Him continually for that. We have felt like “new things” are happening and we can’t wait to see where God leads.
For all these reasons, I now am watching for and excited about the path (whether through Scripture, person, or song) that God will show me for 2015. Will it be problem free? Of course not! Will it be challenging? I am sure! But I have no doubt that it will continue to deepen my journey with Christ, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
What about you? Take time to look back at 2014 and thank God for the ways He has shown you His power. Take time to look forward to 2015 and ask Him to guide you every step of the way. Let’s go deeper together, and let’s lead women to seek that deeper walk with Christ as we continue to serve Him.
Chris Adams is senior lead women’s ministry specialist at Lifeway Christian Resources in Nashville, Tenn. Learn more about Chris here.
