Greeting 2024, a Reflection

[Jacob Ben Avraham]

Hello and Shalom to all readers, thank you all for your support in 2023. Hope the LORD will keep me on this earth during this new year as well.

We have said our goodbye to 2023, with all of its adventures, problems, trials, and blessings. We should approach this new year of 2024 with anticipation as well, knowing that there will also be blessings, trials, and problems to face, yet God is in control of all things.

Perhaps we can picture God on a mountaintop and has 2024 in plain sight, and he turns his head back to look at 2023. He knows everything that happened in 2023 and he knows everything that WILL happen in 2024. He has you and me in plain sight as well, walking the path of 2024, day by day, week by week, month by month. He will guide us every step of the way. Like Joseph in Egypt, we will just have to trust HIM and leave the outcome in HIS hands.

Many people spend New Year's Eve with relatives. Some relatives come over on the 24th of December and stay until January 6th. Some just come over on December 25 and then return on January 1st. Families are different. Some are close, others are distant (both geographically and/or socially)

Some will have roast turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn, egg nog, hot apple pie. Some (perhaps in England I hear) will have roast geese or mutton, while the Grinch will be carving the roast Beast in Whoville for little Cindy LouWho and family. Others will just have Raman noodles and chicken nuggets, maybe wash them down with a Coke. Who can forget the Honey baked ham with brown sugar and cloves, unfortunately, it isn't kosher, but it tastes good.

So how about those "New Year's Resolutions?" Those "so-called" promises that you and I know won't be kept? How do you know you will keep them? Maybe you won't be alive on this earth to keep them! Something to think about. We are a heartbeat away from eternity. But...Maybe the LORD will keep us around on this planet for this new year. We can surely petition that request. So, how do we or should we approach 2024? Maybe something like the following?

"Heavenly Father. We come to you and thank you for the past year of 2023, with all of those problems, trials, and blessings. We thank you in advance for the problems, trials, and blessings you will have in store for us in 2024. We ask you to help us with our spiritual maturity, to grow more in our faith, and in trusting you. Help us to know your written Word better and walk with your Living WORD. Help us to be a blessing to those around us, our families and neighbors, help us to love our neighbors as our own selves. Help us to put Deuteronomy 6 into practice. We ask you to keep our souls and spirit within our bodies for one more year. Help us to follow your perfect will in our lives in 2024. In Yeshua/Jesus' name...Amen"

There are no promises in this approach, just requests. I think this is the best way to approach 2024.


Blessings to all of you,

Rabbi and Mrs. Ben Avraham