December 19: Of Preparations for the New Year

Zephanaiah 1:1-3:20

Revelation 10:1-11

Psalm 138:1-8

Proverbs 39:11-14

I will praise You, Lord, with all my heart;

   Before the 'gods' I will sing Your praise. 

I will bow down toward Your holy temple

   And will praise Your name…

- Psalm 138:1-2

This time of the year, after Christmas, the other thing people make such tremendous preparations for is the New Year.  And where preparations for Advent are filled with prayer and worship and gift giving, preparation for the New Year is usually centered around one thing: the New Year's Resolution, where we look at ourselves, decide what needs to change, and resolve to do what is needed to effect the change.

A survey conducted a year ago found that in the US, the top 5 resolutions were:

1. Exercising more (50%)
2. Saving money (49%)
3. Eating more healthily (43%)
4. Losing weight (37%)
5. Reducing stress (34%)

An interesting observation: while 77% of people were confident they would be able to keep all their resolutions, only 7% kept all their 2019 roster.  They must have ended up deciding they weren't worth keeping.  Question: what resolution is?

The psalmist has as good suggestion.  How about one where we resolve to "praise You, Lord, with all my heart"?  One where we praise God before other "gods" we might have once harbored in the heart that is now completely dedicated to praising Him?  Such a resolution would seem to be worth keeping, and would seem to have far longer implications.

But how to start?  The KISS principle (PG version: Keep It Simple, Silly) helps.  Consider resolving to spend the first 10 minutes of each day next year in prayer.  And when praying, start with praise.  Then list everything that causes worry or fear, everything earthly aspiration, and after saying each one, say "but praise God."  Like, for example, "I am worried about my job…but praise God."  Or "I am afraid for my children's futures…but praise God."  By God's strength, it will be habit forming, and we may well raise the resolution-keeper average by the end of 2021.

Father, as we prepare for the coming year, help us to focus on the Only One that counts - You.  Teach us to praise You with all our hearts, and to set aside any other gods we might have to sing Your praise.