Mensa Otabil - Let Us Prepare to Crossover
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This is the final week of the year 2021. We started this year with God, and it’s been interesting in many ways. There have been ups and downs; we’ve been battling still with COVID, and now we’re experiencing a resurgence of a new variant. But through it all, we give glory to God and praise Him for bringing us this far. As we begin this final journey, I want to talk about how we prepare for the new year. We will look at how Joshua and Israel crossed over the Jordan into the Promised Land, and we will draw parallels from that for our own lives. So we start from Joshua chapter 3, verse 1.
Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. After 40 years in the wilderness, Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land. Their journey to the Promised Land required that they cross over the Jordan River, and for 40 years, it had seemed like a very difficult thing for them to do. This crossing over into the Promised Land required a lot of preparation, and today we are going to learn from them as they prepare to cross the Jordan. We are crossing from 2021 to 2022, and that’s our Jordan on the 31st of December.
People might wonder what is special about a new year; in a sense, a new year is a day like any other day. When the clock changes and the new year starts, it’s just like another day that has been born. But it is also a very special year. It’s like your first day at school: if it was a Monday, it’s just an ordinary Monday, or the day you graduated from school, or the day you got married. They are ordinary days, but they are not ordinary to you because they are special moments in your life. The day you went to school, the day you graduated, the day you married, and the day you started your first job are ordinary days, but we celebrate them because of the impact they have on our lives.
That is what a new year is-it is like every other day, but it is unlike every other day. It is special because the first day of the year sets the tone for the rest of the year, and the way we enter is so important. That is why we must be mindful to prepare ourselves, and as Christians, we do not enter the new year lightly. Some believe that because it’s like any other day, it doesn’t matter; they just propose a toast, sing a song, have a drinking binge, meet with friends, and have fun. But as Christians, we believe that God holds the times and the seasons. The days, weeks, times, and seasons are in God’s hands, and God has tied purposes to times and seasons.
To every purpose, there is a season; so God ties purposes and intent to times and seasons. When we enter a certain season, a certain year, or a specific moment in time, God has a purpose for it. That is why every year, we discern what we think God’s purpose is and walk along with that purpose of God. Because we believe that the days and years are purposeful, we need to prepare to enter the year just as we prepare to go to school, to graduate, or to marry because those days and events are very important. How do we prepare? Just two things I want to mention before we close.
First, we need to prepare our minds. For Joshua and Israel, having lived for 40 years in the wilderness, they had to start thinking of the new land they were going to and the adjustments they needed to make. Second, we need to position ourselves correctly. If you look at the passage we read, Joshua and Israel moved from Acacia Grove and came to the front of the Jordan because that was where they were going to cross over. They set themselves in preparation to take the actions they needed to take. So prepare your hearts and minds; position yourself rightly. These are the preparations you need to make as we think about crossing over into the new year.
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, thank You for the year 2021. Guide us to live in line with Your purposes for the year 2022. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.» Well, pretty soon we will cross over, but tomorrow I will catch you as we take the right steps into the new year. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.