By Joyce Tilney

As we enter 2012 take the time to reflect on 2011. List the good things that happened to you and your family. The blessings, the joys and times of triumph. Remember what He has done for you and your family and feed on His faithfulness.

Next list the adverse things you experienced during the year. “In the day of prosperity be joyful. In the day of adversity consider... ”

(Ecclesiastes 7:14).

We can see from this verse and our experience in life, that one offsets the others, so that our life is a combination of mountains and valleys. The valley is hard.  We all would rather be living a peak experience on the mountaintop.  In the valley you come face to face with your fears and anxieties and when you do, you have a choice.  You will lean into God and seek His help, or you will become bitter towards God and suffer in self-pity. In the valley you have the opportunity to build your confidence in God.

Psalm 37 has helped me many times, giving me encouragement when I was in the valley trying to hold on to my faith in God for deliverance.  “Do not fret... ” sounds simple, “Trust in the Lord”... ”Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness”... ”Delight yourself also in the Lord”... “Commit your way to the Lord”...“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently” (ouch)... “Cease from anger." Read these verses one through nine and meditate on them and I believe you will be encouraged.  Taken together, they represent a cycle in life …  trust, dwell, delight, commit and rest. God desires that His children enter a place of rest no matter what is going on in the world, our rest is in Him.

As I reviewed my lists of the good things and the adverse things, I found the good far exceeded the bad. I found that Psalm 34:19 was true in my life, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” Keep your list near, you will need it as you walk through 2012 to remind you of God’s faithfulness.

He has promised He will never leave you or forsake you!  Believe it, it is true.