Where has 2018 gone? This year flew by, and 2019 will be here in just a few hours!

I always like to take some time at the end of each year to journal about the previous year—the highlights as well as things that were tough.

This year has been a good year but also challenging. As each year passes, I realize just how much I need God—His direction, His wisdom, His strength.

This morning I spent some time reflecting on the past year using some of the questions from a post I wrote several years ago. It was good for me to sit down and think about all that God has done this year. But it’s also been good for me to look ahead. What do I want to see God do in this coming year? How do I want Him to work in my life? I encourage you to do the same.

For some of you, this has been a great year. You’ve seen answers to prayer, success, spiritual growth, positive changes, new relationships . . . But for others, it’s been a difficult year—caregiving, loss of a loved one(s), disappointment, rejection, loneliness, health issues.

For me, one of the highlights of this year was signing a contract with Moody for a Bible study to be released in June 2019. I have dreamed of this day for many years, and now that it’s actually a reality, it’s drawn me into a deeper dependence on God as I move through the steps of this publishing journey. I’m praying God will greatly use this study to draw each person into a deeper relationship with God through prayer.

God knows what’s ahead for us in 2019, and He will walk us through each day step by step. Our response is to look to Him and trust Him.

As David said in Psalm 143:8:

“Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for I trust in You. Teach me the way in which I should walk; for to You I lift up my soul.”

Happy New Year!