That was the theme of the New Year’s eve celebration in my local church last night. Indeed, I can testify that so far the Lord has helped me. The year of 2023 was full of turbulence for me, but again, God has never failed to show His faithfulness. I have so many stories of the things that happened last year, but I will share three examples with you today.

First, I thank God because I was able to travel back to my home country in January 2023. My mom, for a long time, has felt some pain at the upper part of her stomach. Because I was at home, I could be with her at the hospital during her extensive medical examination. By the time I had returned to Sweden, we figured that my mom’s health situation was actually really serious, as the pain was due to arteries in her heart that were 70, 80, and 90% clogged. The situation could get worse at any point, but I thank God for preserving my mom. She then got the surgery to put the stents the day after. As a child, I was very worried. It was a heart surgery after all. My mind was filled with so many things. I had thought about going back home immediately, though the timing was a bit off because I was supposed to move to another apartment 2 weeks after. But that night, after I prayed, I felt like God told me “You do your work, I take care of your family”. Several weeks later, the message was confirmed by a member of our home group. She said, “I feel God told you that He will take care of your mom”, which really encouraged me. I told my home group members the whole situation, including how worried I was because my mom also had some bleeding after the surgery which made her stay in the hospital longer than expected. Later that evening, they prayed for me. Now my mom has recovered well, praise the Lord. 

Second, I mentioned moving to a new apartment earlier. The contract in the previous one just expired without any possibility of extension, so I had to find a new place. I had so many criteria in mind. I wanted it to be close to grocery stores and bus public transport. I wanted it to be within a 6 km radius from my workplace, so that if anything happened to my bike and I couldn’t cycle, I could still walk my bike home without complaining too much. I wanted a separate room for the kitchen, so my blanket won’t smell like food all the time. I wanted a specific apartment size within a specific rent budget. I also wanted a first-hand contract so that I don’t have to move all the time. And God has been so good. He made sure that the apartment I got checked all these boxes. The process itself was so quick. It only took a few days between getting the offer to view the apartment and signing the contract. The moving process also went very smoothly, as I got help from many people, especially my church family. I was worried about getting furniture for my apartment, but even that was taken care of. God made sure that I did not need to sweat too much to get all I needed in an amazing way. 

The last story I want to tell you is about my work. My contract got extended, and since then, my workload  increased significantly. The new projects started coming in while the older projects were still pending, and I found myself handling thrice as many projects as before the contract extension. I felt that I was on my toes all the time, juggling with so many balls at the same time. During the autumn season, God sent some people to warn me about my dangerous workload. I didn’t listen at the beginning, until the day we had a workshop about working culture at my workplace. That day I could see that I had passed the tipping point, the optimal balance between stress and productivity. I could feel that I have lost my productivity and sensitivity. I got a clear message from God to rest. IN the autumn of the previous year, I was also really really busy, but the message that I got from God was “I can do all things through God who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Back then, I stopped complaining and indeed, He carried me through that season. But this time, I was surprised that He just wanted me to rest. I am so thankful that He cares for me, though I neglected Him so many times. I rushed through my private worship times, because I was constantly thinking of all the things I have to do. I eventually took some time off from my “usual” activities for a month and kept my job and a few other activities at the bare minimum levels. During that period, God brought me so many surprises. He recalibrated and reorientated me, showed me who I am, my priorities, and my calling in Him. Then I realized that first and foremost, I am called to worship Him. That is my first purpose and task. Only when I know Him, I know what I am wired for. Only when I find Jesus, I find myself. Only when I am with Him, I know what I am supposed to do. Only when I am in His presence, can I rest. I am well refreshed and recharged. 

He is the God who said “Only in quietness and confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). I thought I needed to use my time to do more and have a greater impact. I was totally wrong. He is the God who said “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). I can rely on Him to do whatever He has promised. If He has been faithful so far, I have no reason to think that He will stop being faithful, as He cannot change. If He has been good so far, I have no ground to think that He will stop doing good, because He cannot deny Himself. If He has taken such good care of me and my family so far, I cannot let myself be worried by anything, as He will continue to take care of us. If He has helped me so far, I have no proof to believe that He will not help me again. If He has done great and mighty things so far, I have no excuse whatsoever to think that my next challenge will be greater than Him. If He has forgiven me so far, even when I disobeyed, betrayed, and abandoned Him, how can I think that my mistakes are greater than His mercy? If He can do all these for me, He can certainly do the same for you; He shows no partiality (Acts 10:34).

Entering this year of 2024, my heart is filled with gratitude for everything that He has done, excitement for what He is doing, and expectation for what He will do. I don’t know what will happen in this coming year, but I know that my God is reliable, faithful, and trustworthy. I don’t care what mountains or giants I will face in 2024. I just know that my God is greater. I have no idea what this season will bring me, but I know that my Heavenly Father knows, and He will prepare me for it, and I will be victorious with Him. I have no clue what will happen in my life next, but I believe He will tell me which way to go and guide me through it. 

So today, I will leave you with this question: Will you join me in thanking God for His faithfulness throughout the past years, and trusting Him with everything in 2024?