We do it all the time. The internet running too slow; hit the reset button. Your phone gets frozen; do a hard reset. Your computer gets caught in the loop; just restart it. Direct TV not working; unplug it and start over. Starting over clears out all the excess data that is slowing down our information device.
A few months back my husband did a hard reset on my father’s old computer. He was looking for a well file that was hiding somewhere among myriad of data overload. It was somewhere in the log of my dad’s old emails, and his gmail account just wasn’t loading. So, my husband did a reset. Well, unbeknownst to Kevin, that reset also sent out all of dad’s emails that had been caught in an information loop. Now mind you, my dad has been gone almost 2 years now. Imagine my shock when I look in my email list and see an email from James Guy. I opened it and the memory came flooding back. I had been sitting in my dad’s office just visiting with him. He had been on the internet just browsing through some history sites. He loved history same as me. He shared with me the story he was reading about Thomas Jefferson becoming an ambassador to France at age 13. “Dad, forward that to me.” He wasn’t sure how so I sat at his computer and did it. I never thought about it again and didn’t realize I never received the email. Well, I did two years later, a year and a half after dad’s death. I cried. Kevin called. I was still crying and told him I had received an email from my dad. Kevin explained what happened. That helped me recover from the shock of receiving an email from beyond the grave. I figure God was still in the midst of that escapade. He was showing me that He is the God of the living. My dad is alive and well and walking streets of gold with his Savior. God is still the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and now James Guy. God is still our God of starting over. The God of New Beginnings.
Starting over. We do it every new year. We start over every morning when we get up. Starting over. It’s what God does every new day. His mercies begin afresh each morning.
We have come to Jesus’ eighth day of life here on this earth. It is His naming day, and it is also the day He was circumcised. In Jewish culture, the number 8 signifies new beginnings. Jesus has been alive for a full week, 7 days, the days of creation. A new week dawned before Him, and now all people would learn of the name the Lord had given Joseph and Mary. Jesus was about to receive the mark of God’s covenant with His people. The covenant maker was about to receive the mark of the covenant also.
God still keeps His covenant. He cannot break His promises. When He says His mercies are new every morning, well, that is exactly what they are. He forgets mistakes made in 2016. He forgets mistakes made yesterday, and He gives us new chance to receive a fresh batch of mercy.
What do you want to restart as you reflect on your relationship with the Lord?
What are His promises to you as you face 2017?
Remember to carry those promises with you through out this new year?
Please continue to read along in the book, “Through Their Eyes”. We aren’t finished yet!