Nehemiah chapter 9 verses 19 – 21 (NIV)
“Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.
As we head towards the end of 2024 and on into whatever 2025 may hold for us, this portion of Nehemiah reminds me of how much God undertook for His people in the wilderness. They lacked nothing, in spite of their unfaithful attitude and disobedience. God treated them with the compassion and care of their Heavenly Father, and He will do so with us; thus, we should not get caught up with worry about how we will manage the things that we will encounter. The reason for this is that we have the same Guide and Comforter to teach and guide us as the Israelites did. Verse 20 of this portion of Chapter 9 tells us that, “You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them.”
And do we not also have that same good Spirit within us to keep us on the road that God has for us. Whatever 2025 holds we don’t face it in our own strength but His. We can’t ask for a better encouragement than that.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for sending us the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort. Keep me receptive to His instructive and leading in the year that lies ahead. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.