Met in Thee

The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. -O Little Town of Bethlehem, Phillips Brooks, 1868

I’ve sang the words to this beloved Christmas carol for as long as I can remember. Yet it wasn’t until recently, as I was standing in my kitchen rather mindlessly listening to a classic playlist, that these words suddenly grabbed my attention. 2020 was, without a doubt, one of the most difficult years in history.

For some, the year provided more time to step back and reshape perspective and realign priorities. On the other hand, for those of us who find ourselves in specific occupations, it may have just been our busiest year thus far. And for others, the losses have been unspeakable.

If you are reading this now and that was the case for you- from the bottom of my heart- I’m so deeply sorry. Though I may not know you or your particular story, I pray for you. For comfort; for healing; for the peace that passes understanding.

Though 2020 may have looked differently for each of us, there’s one lesson that we have all learned just the same: we are not in control. No matter how hard we try to plan or prepare for the future, the truth is- we weren’t and never will be the one that was made to hold it.

As we now bid farewell to the old year that has passed and make way for the new, my prayer is this: as we enter into a fresh year that is marked by countless uncertainties, may we cling all the tighter to the certainty of unshakable love that our Precious Savior has for us. For though the world around us moves like the shifting shadows, He is the One who remains forever unchanged.

I pray that just as the old carol says, we would journey into this year with a deep sense of comfort in knowing that all of our expectant hopes- all of our overwhelming fears- in this year and in all that follow- will be perfectly met in thee.

Happy New Year.

Abide in Him Always,

Ashley