At the beginning of 2020 I asked God to give me a few words for this year specifically. One was HOPE, the other was a picture of bees, and the third was Isaiah 58.
If I ever wondered whether I was really hearing from God, the words He gave me confirm that He is truly speaking. I had no idea how deeply meaningful those three simple words from His heart would become as 2020 unfolded.
HOPE: Clearly, the whole world desperately needed hope this year. Personally, I had no idea that a simple commitment to practice and embody hope as much as possible probably saved my life and kept me sane through crisis and extreme difficulty. Looking back, I can see that hope positioned me to trust God most when I desperately needed Him to come through on a very personal and corporate level. And God did. 2020, personally, has been a year of craziness, yes, but more so, of miracles.
BEES: Drbeekeeper.com says this, "In Christianity, the bee has historically been seen as a symbol of Jesus Christ's attributes. The honey reflecting his sweet and gentle character, whilst the sting pertaining to justice and the cross." WOW! If you have lived through the spring and early summer of 2020, let that sentence sink in deep. The word for bee in the Hebrew Bible is the same as the name D’vorah or Deborah. She was the fourth judge in Israel, a female, who heard God and spoke His words leading people to freedom from their oppressors.
ISAIAH 58: Jesus also told me to fast at the beginning of the year. I am NOT a faster. He didn’t give me guidelines to follow—other than listen to Him daily. Jesus would show me what to eat/drink/do and when. It turned into my first ever 7-day food fast and it was heavenly. I felt so good, cleansed, connected—and I don’t think I could have done had He told me up front: 7 days, no food. My sweet mind couldn’t imagine it. With fasting in mind, look at Isaiah 58:
Is not this the fast I choose:
to release the bonds of wickedness,
to untie the cords of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to tear off every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
to bring the homeless poor into your house?
When you see the naked, to cover him,
and not hide yourself from your own flesh and blood?
...Then you will call, and Adonai will answer.
You will cry and He will say, "Here I am."
Whatever month, day and year it is, it is not too late to ask God to give you words of life for the year to come.
Click here to download a PDF guide "Hearing God for This Year." Use it or simply ask Jesus: What encouragement from your heart to mine do you have for the coming year.
Write down what you got and process it! Look it up in Scripture, online and pay attention when it pops up in your day to day. Revisit it and let Jesus tell you more about it daily.
— Cayce Harris