Pastor's Corner: Grace upon grace

“May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 (New Living Testament)

That is what we are walking into for 2025 – believing that God is smiling down on every one of us, and that his favor and peace is with us. As a family, we talked about what went good and what can go better for the new year. We look back on 2024 and think of all the wonderful opportunities that we had, as well as the moments that we can improve upon. It is important for us to dive deep into our daily walk and examine ourselves, asking the tough questions and building upon the character that has made us who we are today.

So when our family was discussing what the new year would bring, this is the thought that came in. We know that God is faithful to us, even when we are not toward him, and we know that his peace and favor has been with us, even when we thought otherwise. His word is true in our lives and we know that, but it is critical to talk about the hard things in life, the areas we need to work on. That is where grace comes in. Grace is noted as “undeserved kindness,” Romans 11:5b. It is that moment when things really are not going your way that God reveals his grace towards us, undeserved yet kind, without merit but freely given. A grace that so quickly embraces you, shows you a true love that can heal hurt at its core.

Grace is a powerful tool to overcome challenges we face with one another. It allows for healthy conversation to take place amongst our children, our spouses, our friends and those around us. It extinguishes ill feelings toward one another and allows for a safe space to be generated with each other to grow and flourish instead of holding a grudge and discontent with one another.

The year 2025 is considered a year of grace and balance based on the number five. Five fingers and toes on each hand and foot, five knots on the prayer shawl, five ingredients in the anointing oil, five books of the Torah, five smooth stones for Goliath. Day five in creation saw water, fish and birds, which gives nutrients to the world around us. The number five represents grace toward us (undeserved kindness) and balance in our lives. The Hebrew calendar (5785) shows us that God’s perfect grace is renewed daily.

Lamentations 3:23 tells us “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” So for our family, we soon realized that this is a year of grace, favor and balance in our lives. A year to increase in his presence and grow in his word. Allow grace to be present in your life, that you can grow with one another and create an environment around yourself that is edifying to God.