Thoughts: Hannah's Blog

It’s been a roller coaster ride for me this year. There are some years where nothing seems to happen then there are years when everything seems to happen all at once that there is no time to process it all.

While summing up last year and looking forward to the coming year I knew there’d be lot of changes and new things coming our way as we were planning to sell our current house and move into the new house (which was under construction) which was in a different location. So new locality, new neighbours, new church, new school for my kid and I was to move to a different project at work, so new team, new manager, new team members, new technologies, new processes. So I took this word as my personal promise for 2024: (Isaiah 43:19)

I am about to do something new.
    See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

When I took up that verse, I was fixated on the first part of the verse due to my current situations and yes God did guide us wonderfully well in all our endless packing and shifting. (We were moving after 10 years so we had a lot of stuff that needed to be discarded/donated.)

But along with the new things and adjustments, there were a lot of unplanned and unexpected troubles that were coming along. The completion of the house construction was getting delayed but we had sold the current house(by God’s grace, that was a struggle on it’s own) and we were to vacate by a fixed date. So we had to shift to a temporary location before shifting back once the construction was complete. Additionally there were some legal issues with the selling and troubles from the buyer. And all this was just in the first half of the year!

Then we managed to shift by God’s grace and endless organising work later, we didn’t know where what was. Spent centuries searching for things! But all’s well that ends well right? Well, we faced some other unexpected financial setbacks and with the pending loan and the monthly EMIs to be paid, it was only God who led us through that time of wilderness.

This brought me to the second part of the verse. “I will make a pathway through the wilderness” I could see no way out of that dry, desert place where the heat was scorching. They say there is light at the end of the tunnel, but for a few months all I could see was darkness. The only thing I could hold on to was his word and that He is the Light. (and that was enough)

I knew God is good, I knew God is faithful and that He can be trusted but those dark clouds were threatening to hide all truth. It was truly a testing of faith in the furnace of affliction moment for me. Days when my faith was low and doubts crept in, with al lot of questions on my mind: What if this is the path? What if this is the journey meant for me? And a lot more what ifs and how longs.

But God did create rivers in this wastelands and we could see the light at the end of the tunnel right before Christmas, it was like a Christmas gift for us. How thoughtful God is sometimes. It is his birthday, but he is the one giving out gifts!

I’m thankful for all those who upheld us with your prayers. That’s what has been sustaining us. If not for the grace of God, we would not be here. Thankful to God most high for being our Provider, for his endless mercies and abundant grace in our lives. For holding our hands and pulling us through yet another year.

I’d like to end this post with the lyrics of a song that fits this year: Blessed be your name by Matt Redman:

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I’ll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun’s shining down on me
When the world’s ‘all as it should be’
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I’ll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name