“The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” Psalm 33:10-11 (NIV)

As we enter into 2013, it’s normal to reflect on the past and consider how we might change in the new year.  The good news is that God so wants for us to leave room for Him to be a part of our plans….to help, direct, support, change, toil and resolve matters with us.  Our path throughout 2013 will surely unfold step-by-step as long as we stay connected intimately to Him and surrender our plans so they can be in alignment with His plans.  He wants to shoulder our burdens and our big to-do lists…He wants to bear our yoke.  But we have to move over a bit to let His shoulder get onto the yoke with us.  There is a part of the burden of life that is meant for Him to bear, not us.  It’s no wonder why many of us are so tired all the time.

As we enter into 2013 our prayer is to be drawn to Jesus’ perspective and confident in God’s promise….

• “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
• “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

What seemed to sustain Jesus during His time on earth was His undeniable moment-by-moment relationship with His Father.  He said, ”I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19).

We invite and encourage you to go to our Father with this very point – “Father, I want to see You, know You and hear You in 2013….let me so grow in my relationship with You that I can sense Your presence, Your heart for me and Your heart for those around me…my desire is that my 2013 plans are lived-out from a place of intimacy and alignment with You.”

God thank you for helping establish our plans as we commit our all to You.

Likewise, our relationship with God grows to new levels of satisfaction as we spend time with Him.

Starbucks is proof that we all seek connection to others and being part of a community, a family.  So, spending time with God, our maker, should be a well-worn habit for us.  But is it?

For many Christians who pursue a godly life, we sometimes put rules on spiritual things….for instance, we call our time with God a “quiet time” and it goes from 6:45 to

7:00 each morning.   This “boxing-in” our time with God can sometimes remove the joy of just “being” with God and enjoying His presence.

Interestingly, we don’t spend time with our friends in this manner….”hey Bob, why don’t you come over from 7:15 – 8:15″.

No, we say, “come on over whenever and let’s hang out”….we rarely even think of how much time we want our friend to be with us….it’s just “come on over”.  God, too, wants this kind of no-time-clock, moment-by-moment relationship…the Bible calls it praying unceasingly….others call it walking daily in the presence of the Spirit of God.

Truth is….the kind-hearted God of the universe is madly in love with you and me and wants to hear your voice, see your smile, hear your ideas and hurts and He wants to spend time with you – as much time as you are ready for.  So, today, be encouraged to express your love for God (and others) by giving a gift that is truly precious….the fullness of your time and heart.