Una bendición para el año nuevo: Hebreos 13

Written by Colleen Chao

At the end of Hebrews there are two small verses that over time have marked a beautiful path in my heart, their truths leading me to a breath-taking image of my God and His goodness to me.

"And may the God of peace, who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you able in every good work to do His will, working in us what is acceptable before Him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen". (Heb. 13:20–21)

As the new year approaches, we can know that none of us have any idea what awaits us. Many of our days will unfold very differently than perhaps we already have planned, and we will remember how little we really control in this life. But for God's daughters there are precious promises that not only make sense of life's interruptions and pains, but also fill us with greater joy and purpose than we can even begin to imagine.

So, as we look toward the unknown before us, here are some things we can count on according to Hebrews 13:20–21:

God is a God of peace.

We are not naturally peaceful people. We are born into confusion, all kinds of anxiety, anger and self-absorption. But with God, we can experience true shalom : a well-being of both body and soul. Ephesians 2:14 says, “He himself is our peace.”

God, we pray that we may walk in the joy of Your presence which is perfect peace for our troubled souls.

God keeps His promises.

God made enormous promises to us and then signed them with the blood of His only Son. Can we really continue to doubt God's goodness toward us when he paid the ultimate price to fulfill those undeserved promises?

We are very grateful, God, that You always keep Your promises and that You paid the highest price to keep them.

Jesus is our Great Shepherd, whom God raised from the dead.

This means that Jesus has the authority and power to perfectly protect us, provide for us, and guide us. Isaiah 40:11 says, “As a shepherd he will feed his flock, he will gather the lambs into his arm, and he will carry them into his bosom; "He will carefully guide the newly born ones."

Jesus, we ask that you guide us toward the dawn of a new day and give us joyful hearts to follow you.

God gives us everything we need.

God is not selfish, unfair, or full of unrealistic expectations. Has someone ever given you a task that you weren't fully equipped for? And then maybe they lost patience at your incompetence when you asked for more specific help or guidance? God is nothing like that. He wonderfully prepares us for what he calls us to do by giving us everything we need (and more!) to do it. He always gives us more.

Thank you, God, that no matter what happens today, You are with me, providing everything I need to do Your will, whether it's to wash another batch of dishes, to forgive a difficult person in my life, or to grieve with hope.

God is pleased with us.

Because God sees us through Jesus, our position is secure, permanent, and indestructible. Today we may fall on our heads ten times, feel like a complete failure, and suffer deep disappointment from others, but because we are in Christ; God delights in us and in our smallest acts of obedience.

O Lord, our hearts are filled with joy knowing that You take pleasure in us and our broken efforts for Your kingdom. No matter how we feel or fail today, we believe that we are Your beloved daughters.

Jesus receives all the glory.

All this generous love, His goodness and provision, does not result in us obtaining a great title, a place in history or the praise of the masses. Everything grows in glory for Jesus and in his name being known. This is what our hearts are made for.

Jesus, we praise you! We say, “You are bigger than everyone else! Your name is like no other name! We love You and want to live for You because You are so good! We are happiest when You are glorified!

And all God's people say: "Amen!" 

As we enter a new year, may this power-filled blessing shape our hearts, our prayers, our praises and our ambitions. May our journey together through Hebrews this past month culminate in great praise to the Only One who is worthy!