You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Psalm 86:5.

This morning in our Friday Zoom Retreat, the first of this new 2026, we shared after prayer our thoughts about what in our own spiritual searching has helped, what can be let go, and what we hope to explore. The quotes above in the title, and I always hope they don’t mind my sharing, were just two samples of what it is to trust Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, for the direction and help He brings us to. As I sat later in prayer, and random memories from childhood were present, He reminded me life is these moments. And to rejoice with great joy. And be with Him. He has been helping me see for some time now my own spiritual need to just sit in stillness and be with Him. To let go of what presses, of hurry and strife and worry. Because He has brought me to this place where I trust Him.

Paul knew that place. In our chapter, Philippians 3, he reminds us to let go of everything that hinders and go forward with God. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is in their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

In our group this morning, I shared what our daughter shared with me about “strong Christians”…that they think they know everything and that what they believe and say is absolutely right. Paul was warning about that as well. All the righteous “legalism” he possessed and used to persecute others was brought to a complete end by Jesus because what Paul was doing was persecuting Jesus Himself. How many of us have suffered church hurt? How many of us have hurt others in our deeply wrongful zeal? And yet Paul said that where our understanding, our attitude, is different from God’s, God will reveal that also to you. Can we trust God to reveal to us what is needed because He loves us? Can we even trust Him for all of us? Our presenter shared the lyrics and music to By Your Side by Tenth Avenue North: “Why are you striving these days? Why are you trying to earn grace? Why are you crying? Let Me lift up your face…Just don’t turn away…Why are you looking for love? Why are you still searching…As if I’m not enough? To where will you go child? Tell me where will you run…To where will you run? ‘Cause I’ll be by your side…wherever you fall In the dead of night…whenever you call…And please don’t fight these hands that are holding you…My hands are holding you. Look at these hands at My side…They swallowed the grave on that night…When I drank the world’s sin…So I could carry you in…And give you life…I want to give you life…Cause I, I love you…I want you to know…That I, yeah I’ll love you…I’ll never let you go, no, no…My hands are holding you…Here at My side…My hands are holding you.” 2025 has been such a hard and difficult year for much of our world. I pray this 2026 you find God walking with you loving you tenderly through every joy, every trial, every challenge, every moment. His Love is real and His heart is turned to us always.