You Never Know What a Year Might Bring

By: Chris Johnson

You never know what a year might bring.

2025 certainly had its share of surprises – from the decisive executive actions taken on the first days of the Trump administration, which effectively squashed the popularity of “woke,” to the wildfires in Los Angeles, to the bombing of the Iranian nuclear facility, to the establishment of new tariffs and trade policies, to the numerous acts of political violence against the right, particularly the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

What every year-end look back reminds us of, however, is that whether we’re assuming the best or the worst about the future, we’ll always be taken by surprise. Sometimes, the well-informed can see an issue coming a mile away, but some occasions catch us all unawares.

Doubtless, as we enter the new year, we’ll continue to see many of the same keywords in our headlines as we have over the past few years: illegal immigration, Artificial Intelligence, China, Epstein, Islam, housing. Doubtless, the mid-term elections will dominate much of the news cycles and, to some extent, shape our futures.

But, as we look ahead into the blank slate that is 2026, we must first and foremost look at it as an opportunity – an opportunity to help our neighbors, to conquer our fears, to grow closer to God, to improve our relationships with our families, our communities, and our country.

I write this in the days following the massacre at Bondi Beach, the shooting at Brown University, the foiled attacks on Christmas markets in Europe, and the foiled New Year’s Eve plot targeting Los Angeles.

You never know what a year might bring.

I’m reminded of Gandalf’s great insight in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring: “‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo.

“‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’”

Most of us won’t have much say in what the future holds. We’ll support political causes and vote in November, but when it comes down to it, the destiny of our civilization is out of our hands. We can only act out the little bits of authority that God has placed in our hands as parents, bosses, citizens, etc.

As we start a new year, we may not, as individuals, be able to resolve to save the country. We may not be able to come up with a strategy to stop AI from putting a generation out of work. We may not be able to affect the housing market or the spread of Islam.

But, perhaps we can help an ambitious young person find a job opportunity, or a young family looking for a home; perhaps we can share information about the dangers of Islam with someone who’s curious or even share the gospel with a Muslim whom God puts in our path. Perhaps our role will be to sign and share a petition or bring up a concern with a representative.

We can be sure that God will give us opportunities to be salt and light in this increasingly dark and difficult world. The future is in much better Hands than ours, and yet, the church is the body of Christ. He works through us, and thus, we must be sure we are working!

The challenge for all of us in the year ahead is to see the opportunities that God gives us and to have the courage to walk into them. The temptation will be to throw up our hands in despair at all the rapid and lasting changes which seem likely to be in store for us, to give up from a feeling that there’s nothing we can do to make a difference.

Yet, you never know what a year might bring!

God can turn any tide. “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.” Proverbs 21:1

In the discordant times in which God has placed us, we must remember that strength lies not within our own weak selves, but in the hand of omnipotent God. He equips us with grace for each moment, turning our fears into faith and our trials into testimonies of His enduring mercy and love.

May we be active in the work God sets before us in the year ahead, and may He bless our efforts towards His own perfect plan!

 

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