“From the beginning of the year to its end.” Deuteronomy 11:12 NIV

What a lovely thought that God our Father, the creator of the universe, acknowledges the beginning and the end of the year in His word. For we also read in another part of the Bible, “a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours.” (Psalms 90:4 NLT).

The Lord observes not only a thousand years but every day of the year. Yesterday, the first of January, the eyes of the Lord were continually upon you, every moment of the day. And so it will be every day of this year. There is not a day in the year in which He is uninterested.  The complete verse says:

“It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.” 

If the eyes of the Lord are continually upon us - for we, the redeemed, are His ‘land’ - then let us be careful to use each sacred day for His glory. What a privilege to get up each morning and to dwell in His presence throughout each moment.

If the eyes of the Lord are continually upon us, we ought not to waste our precious hours.  We all need time to switch off and unwind because if we didn’t, we would become like overwound toys, losing our sense of well-being and restfulness.  But there is a difference between resting for a while and wasting time.

Let us commit each day to His hands. These hours will never be given to us again. They slip through our fingers like sand and are gone forever, but if we commit our days to His hands and allow Him to guide us, our year will become rich.

The NLT version brings another detailed thought:

“a land that the Lord your God cares for. He watches over it through each season of the year!”   Deuteronomy 11:12 NLT

The changing seasons could speak of the different seasons of our lives: whether we are in the youthfulness of Spring or our final season of Winter.  Or it could simply be speaking of hard times and blessed times. The Lord cares for you, watching over you, like a parent over their children.

Even if this translation literally meant the different seasons of the year, it is a lovely thought to think He cares for us in the bleak midwinter when nature appears frozen in silence or at the beginning of Spring when new shoots appear. Through all these days, He cares for us. In the heat of long, hazy summer days or amidst the beauties of Autumn, each day He watches and cares.

Make each day special: let us care for our Father in heaven, even as He cares for us. Let us watch for Him as He watches over us. For it is only then that we shall be guaranteed to have the very best that life can bring us.

May I take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very blessed and fruitful 2023.

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​God bless, Diana.