A Trusted Guide for An Unknown Year

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.“ Psalm 32:8

The chickens and turkeys have been eaten. The Christmas trees and lights might have already come down; if not, they will in a day or two. And amidst much fanfare and fireworks, from Kiribati to American Samoa, the world has ushered in 2023. However, like explorers, our journey must now begin. I quite remember on the 31st of December 2019, a few of us gathered together in our living room and shared our hopes and aspirations for 2020. Little did we know it would be a year unlike any other we had ever experienced. Like 2020, we are about to begin our journey into the unknown again. There will be countless moments of joy and excitement along the way, so too dangers and snares. Every year is an adventure on its own. And anyone who has ever been on any kind of adventure, knows that you must prepare well and carry along critical tools and gears to be safe and enjoy the journey.

It is believed that the most critical tool of an explorer is a compass, because you don’t embark on a journey into the unknown without a device that can guide you. It doesn’t matter which part of the globe they find themselves in; if an explorer can determine their direction relative to the earth’s four magnetic poles, they can safely make it home.In the same sense, if we consider that we are explorers embarking on a journey into an unknown year, what should be the most critical tool we must carry along with us? Without a shadow of a doubt, I believe the most important tool is a trusted guide. And for the Christian, finding a good guide shouldn’t be a problem at all. The God of the universe, the one who knows the end from the beginning and holds the unknown future, has graciously offered to be our guide through 2023.

In our opening text, God promised David, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.“

Psalm 32 narrates the experience of David when he tried to go through life relying on his own wisdom and devices. It is not mentioned which particular sin he was referring to in the Psalm, but whatever it was; he thought he could find pleasure in sin and not only that, he also tried to hide it from God. However, he came to realise that you cannot hide from the one who sees all things. He recounts how his bones wasted away, until he acknowledged his sin and received forgiveness from a gracious and loving Father. It was after this that God promised to instruct and teach him in the way he should go.

Like David, many of us often resort to our own devices to navigate through life. Beginning a new year with no reference to God or his purpose for you may not sound like you’re doing anything wrong. You may say, “I haven’t hurt anyone or committed any grievous sins.” However, whenever you plan your life with no reference to God, you are effectively saying you don’t need him. There is no greater sin than living your life as though there is no God; that’s the definition of a fool according to the Bible (Psalm 53:1). It’s like the explorer who begins his voyage telling himself he doesn’t need a compass. But, when we acknowledge our need for God and submit ourselves to his Lordship, he has promised to instruct and teach us how we should go.

The question then is, how does God instruct and teach us? Should you wake up every morning and wait for him to audibly speak to you about what you should be doing for the day? The answer is, No!. The Bible teaches us that God has already spoken and done so clearly, by giving us his written word.

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul tells us, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.“

Anyone who would hear God speak, must do so through his written word. It is through the Scriptures that God will instruct and teach us in 2023, as he has done for thousands of years.

This means as an explorer beginning your journey into an unknown 2023, your most important tool is the Word of God. Never leave it behind, if you want to stay safe and enjoy the journey. You should commit yourself to daily reading of God’s word, because that’s how he will guide you. The ESV Bible App has a lot of great Bible reading plans you could benefit from, you should check it out. No one has chartered the course of 2023 before, even though there is no shortage of those who have offered bold predictions of what we should expect. If history is anything to go by, there is only one trusted guide who not only knows the future, but created it. He has offered to instruct and teach us in the way we should go. The wisest thing to do is to follow his lead.