God’s Providence In 2026

Last Sunday’s sermon was preached by Pastor Harry on “God’s Providence In 2026” (Luke 12:21-32; Romans 8:28-29). The sermon and the whole service can be watched on our WIC YouTube Channel.

Welcome to 2026! How many of you made New Year resolutions, at the start of this year? It’s good to make resolutions, to mobilise yourself – but how long will we keep them? We underestimate our own weakness – we’re not as strong in character as we think we are.

 

For example, how many of us take the Bible seriously? Almost everyone. Now: how many of you worry? Again, almost everyone! Yet the Bible says, don’t worry! Jesus says it! Don’t worry about what to eat and wear! And He says: “Don’t be afraid” – and yet we are. Sometimes we even panic. I panic every time I can’t immediately find my glasses, my keys, or my credit card. If I can’t find one of my two phones, I can always phone the number from the other phone and listen out for the ringing tone. But I can’t phone my glasses, my keys or my credit card. So I panic for a second or two.

 

It gets worse as you get older. The older I get, the more I realize how frail I am in character (not to mention the body!). I suppose I’m more honest with myself. This is actually the result of my relationship with God. It makes me realize that, without Him, I am nothing. If God doesn’t hold me up, I will fall to pieces. The older I get, the more I’m aware of my failings. I have hardly any more faith in myself – all my hope is in the Lord. My relationship with God is everything.

 

But this – the Bible tells us – is actually Good News! It’s the first Good News I want to share with you in 2026 – namely, what Paul says in Romans 8: “God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son”. So it’s like this: you might regard yourself as a hopeless sinner, a complete mess, a failure – but if you’re a believer in your heart (and not just in your mind), then you’ve been chosen by God: the Bible says so! And even more: He’s in the process of doing an amazing work in you, and is moving ever so slowly to make you ever more like Jesus. The world around us may be falling apart; our bodies will also fall apart; but in the Spirit, we will become more and more like Christ Himself. And the great paradox is that our failures, defeats and humiliations will help to prepare us for this: they are precisely God’s plan to bring us closer to His Son. God causes everything to work together for our good. Why? Because He called us. And the proof that He called us is that He gave us a love for Him! Are you beginning to feel God’s providence for you for 2026? You should!

 

But there’s more to come. Because God called you – despite your “dirty manger”, as I said last week – He put His seal of protection on you! No matter what happens to you, you are safe! Remember what I said last week about the Jewish guy who pulled the gun away from the terrorist on Bondi Beach, but lost his life in the process: just like that man, so Jesus shielded you with His own body and lost His life on earth, taking all your weakness and unbelief and depravity on Himself. So you are protected by God’s work in Jesus. The devil can tempt and attack you – but as a chosen child of God, he can never, ever overpower you. Your soul is safe, because of what Jesus did for you – and because you’re a believer, you can be 100% sure this applies to you! Come what may in 2026, you – dear Believer – are protected by the blood of Jesus Christ.

 

Let’s look into the future a bit. God is going to make you like Jesus. You’re probably thinking: how can a worthless, sinful creature like me possibly become like Jesus? But it’s what God has undertaken to do! We’re so worried about the future. What am I going to live on? Where’s the money going to come from? How am I going to manage with my illness or disability? What will I do if my loved ones die? Paul himself had such a problem. In 2 Corinthians 12:7-9, he called it a “thorn in the flesh”. “Take it away, so I can serve You better”, he probably said to God. But God said: “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness”.

 

Listen to that, dear Believer! Many, many things are going to go wrong for you and me in 2026. We might feel we’re wasting precious time because we had to recover from a long illness; or have been out of a job for so long; or because we couldn’t serve the Lord as we desired. But God says: “That is precisely My unstoppable grace! You don’t feel it, but it’s precisely My power, which is with you in your weakness! You don’t like it, but I’m giving it you to draw you closer to Jesus. You can try to run away from it, like Jonah – but I’ll bring you back to where I want you to be. And one day, you’ll see it was the best thing for you at the time”. So the Good News here is that in 2026 God will never let go of you – even though you yourself might feel abandoned.

 

I just want to add that, what God sets out to do, He will finish. He’s not going to favour you with His grace and then give up on you, just because you can’t stop worrying, or sinning, or doubting His goodness and wisdom. He knows perfectly well how wretched we are – but He will keep to His plan for us, in 2026 and every other year. In fact, He will lead us safely all the way to heaven.

 

“Everything works out for the best for those who love God”. We may have nothing, and be nobodies. But if we love God and Jesus, then we have everything. We have the Kingdom. Believe it with all your heart – and may it be your comfort in the year ahead. Amen.