Psalm 124 If the Lord had not been on our side—let Israel say—if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us, they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away. Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth. We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
When you take a reflective look back at 2020 here are some conclusions you can come to when it comes to what God was doing in your life.
He was blessing you. He was protecting you. He was praying for you. He was working and finding good in all your bad situations. He was for you not against you. He never forgot you. He was faithful to you and in all your situations. He was gracious to you. He was merciful to you. He was compassionate to you. He was defeating the works of the devil for you. He was there for you. He was with you and never left your side.
He stood by you even when others gave up on you. He was a friend when you had no friends. He was your comfort when you needed healing. He was the lover of your soul when you felt unloved. He was your reason for being, and why you kept on keeping on, because He never gave up on you! He was your confidence in your doubts. He was your right mind when you felt like going crazy.
He was your peace when the world was in chaos. In your darkest hour His light brought you out. On your worst day He was your support. When everyone turned on you, He was on your side. When trouble came knocking, He answered the door.
When the virus came like a plague, His blood and army angels covered us with healing and protection.
When the lockdowns kept us from each other and anxiety and fear came knocking at our door, the peace and presence of God overwhelmed our hearts and comforted us.
When our country was in utter chaos and out of control with fear, crime, riots, polarizing politics, a suspect election, our King was still on the throne and large and in charge.
For every tear you cried He cried with you, and He can’t wait to fulfill his promise that one day He will wipe away every tear from you. Revelation 21:4
His mercies were new every day. His grace was sufficient, and His power pulled you through.
Feeling bad about your sins? God didn’t keep a record of them if you asked for forgiveness.
When people said bad things about you God was bragging about you.
When people tried to destroy you, He was delighting over you with singing and dancing.
When the enemy came at you like a flood God raised a standard against the enemy.
He made your weakest moment your strongest day. He made your enemies live at peace with you the day you decided to be a God pleaser.
He kept your heart beating and kept you alive.
He was the one that was solely responsible for seeing you through 2020.
If the Lord had not been on your side, would you be here? No.
If the Lord had not been on your side, would you have any hope? No.
If the Lord had not been on Encounter’s side, we would have never made it through another year and celebrated four years of God’s faithfulness.
You can still make a year-end donation to Encounter by giving online at www.thehopeencounter.org
Every dollar helps broken and hurting people overcome life’s adversities so they can discover the free devoted life to Jesus Christ.
We praise God for His faithfulness, and we thank God for your faithfulness and generosity!
May the Lord be on your side once again in 2021, bless you, shine His face upon you, and keep you.
Be Blessed and Encouraged
Bill Rieser
Encounter Pastor