Will 2015 be a better year? It can be frightening to look at the future. Anything can happen and many of the things that can happen are not pleasant to think about – the threat of war, a bad economy, the possibility of sickness or accidents, the chance of dying a sudden death.

 It is not just the negative person who recognizes the fact that all these possibilities are real. And so as we look at the future, we tend to do so with a feeling of uneasiness and a good deal of fear and trepidation.

We have no choice, if we leave the future to chance. We have no control over many of the things that can happen, and we can’t do anything about them. But there is an alternative. We can face the future with confidence.

 One of our problems is that we often feel so helpless. There are so many things we can’t do, so many things over which we have no control. For example, you can’t control the economy. You don’t have absolute control over your health.

But God does have control over these things. We sometimes forget that our help comes from God. If God made all things, then he also knows how they work. And if he designed and created them, then he has power to control them.

If you don’t look to God, there is not much you can do. You can do your best to avoid all the unpleasant things that can happen in your life. You can take all the safety precautions; you can guard your health. You can try to handle your money and property wisely. But things can still go wrong and they often do. You can depend on others to some degree. You can look up things on the internet. But they have limitations as far as helping you is concerned.

The only real solution is to look to someone who has all power over all things, and that, of course, is God.

One of the reasons people say that there is no God is that they don’t want there to be a God. They prefer not to think that there is a God because they are afraid of him. If they can convince themselves that there is no God, then they don’t have to worry about him.

 To many people the thought of God is unpleasant. He has no interest in you, and sooner or later he is going to get even with you. So it is best to keep God out of your mind because you can’t do anything about it anyway.

But the Lord helps. His help extends to every conceivable area of life. He will not allow his believers to get into anything that will be harmful to them. He watches over them constantly. Nothing evil can happen to them. That sounds like an exaggeration. But God has all power. He can protect them from everything evil. Don’t bad things still happen to Christians? Yes. But he can change evil into good so that it will serve a good purpose in their life.

Year after year God takes care of them. Even when their years end. He has paid for our sins. That is why we have a Savior in the person of Jesus Christ. God has promised to take us through him to a new life, out of all our troubles, where perfect life and happiness go on forever.

When you think of all the terrible things that can happen to you this year and in all the years to come it is frightening. And beyond it all is death.

You can make some plans. You can make some resolutions. But the answer lies in looking to God and putting your trust in him.

(Pastor Marc Frey is the pastor at Peace of Our Savior Lutheran Church (WELS) New Carlisle, OH www.peaceofoursavior.net)

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