Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

Isaiah 60:1

A New Year is a great time to hit the restart button, and many of us do, but by the time April rolls around, the majority of us will have gone back to old habits. Why? Because we typically strive for improvement in our own strength, which fails us every time. This is especially true of our spiritual lives. As we are reminded in Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the LORD Almighty. Only God’s Spirit is able to replace the darkness in our lives with his light.

In Isaiah 60:1, the prophet Isaiah brings a message of renewal to the New Jerusalem, a nation which at the time lay prostrate in darkness, completely consumed by the dust of the old life. Isaiah says, “Get up, shine, for your light has come, ….” In other words, don’t go it alone, your light (your Messiah) has come, let his glory rise upon you.

God is calling his people to once again arise and shine in 2019. Like the New Jerusalem, the world lies prostrate in darkness. Might has failed us, and power has failed us. Only by God’s Spirit can things be made right. So once again, God is saying, don’t go it alone, it will leave you prostrate in the dust. Instead, recognize that, “Your light has come (Jesus), and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.”

Will you trust him to lead you in 2019? Will you let his glory rise within you? His light has come, and he is willing to give you a fresh start through the power of his Spirit, so that you might shine in the darkness for him.

Eternal God, I was once in darkness, but now you are light in me. Teach me how to live as a child of light. Invade my heart, my spirit, and my life so that I am completely consumed by you. Give me the courage to arise in 2019, as your glory rises in me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.