The striking question mid-way through January is probably, “Will 2021 be better than 2020?” From the way the month began, and from the daily headlines about security, vaccines, politics, and virus mutations, I am thinking that the answer to that question is probably “No.”
Perhaps a better question for us, beloved, might be, “Will we be better in 2021 than we were in 2020?” Hopefully, the answer to that question will be “Yes.”
Joshua, Chapter 3, describes the Children of Israel crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land. The priests carry the Ark in front of the people and the moment their feet touch the edge of the water, the waters part. The priests lead the way up out of the Jordan and the nation follows.
The day before that happened, however, Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, because the Lord will do wonders among you tomorrow.” [v5 HCSB]
Consecrate means “to be set apart.” It means to be dedicated to a sacred purpose. God had promised Abraham centuries before that Abraham’s descendants would possess the Promised Land, but God also told Abraham that before that happened, they would be enslaved for more than 400 years in an unholy land. [Genesis 15]
I find it interesting that even though God promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land, they still had to set themselves apart. Even though Joshua promised that “the LORD will do wonders among you,” the people still had to dedicate themselves for the sacred purpose of possessing the land.
God works, and most often the way He works is through His people. So, will 2021 be a better year? From a worldly perspective, perhaps not. But will God’s people be better this year, consecrated to God’s purpose … hopefully, the answer to that will be a solid, resounding, “Yes!”
