A New Year of Grace, Forgiveness and Love

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust.” (Psalm 18:2)

This psalm verse is said silently by the priest shortly before we all recite the Nicene Creed together during the Divine Liturgy. It is one of my favorites because of the depth of its meaning in so few words.

The Lord is our rock, solid and strong. We may get tired and worn out, but we know that the Lord never does. He is there for us whenever and wherever we may call upon him. We know that his strength, his spiritual strength, is so far beyond what we possess, yet we should never be afraid or embarrassed when calling out to him.

He wants a relationship with us, one that exists in open honesty and sincere humility, so that when we do pray, we are not heaping up empty words or phrases. The Lord sees through any and all masks we choose to wear. He created us, he knows exactly how we look and, more importantly, he knows what’s going on inside of us. He knows our true intentions and motives at any given moment.

The Lord is our rock, but he can also be moved. He is compassionate and merciful. This does not mean that he doesn’t hold us accountable for our actions. We are accountable to God for every word, deed and thought we have. But when we repent for something we know we’ve done wrong, he is moved to mercy and forgives. These are traits we do well to imitate within our families, with friends and acquaintances.

The Lord is our fortress, a place of refuge, a stronghold. When we know we’ve sinned against our neighbor, our spouse or friend, it is tempting to turn away from them rather than to return and ask their forgiveness. It is tempting to do the same with the Lord and with the Church. The path to forgiveness and reconciliation is found in returning, not in turning away. Returning to Christ in humility and repentance brings us great strength. The strength that comes from reconciliation with our God and our neighbor is life-changing. We all need to learn how to best live with our neighbor, and to live under the protection of God’s shelter, refuge, fortress.

The Lord is our deliverer. He can deliver us from the depths of despair and give us the courage to face another day. He is able to deliver us from any malady, spiritual or physical. With sincere repentance, he has promised to deliver us from this fallen world into the eternal paradise of Heaven.

Have we learned to trust God? Do we doubt his mercy, his strength, his intimate knowledge of us, his care for the world he created or his promise to open the gates of heaven to those who follow and love him?

Begin the New Year with the knowledge of God’s love and care for each of us. Read Psalm 18, other psalms and books of the bible. Pray without interruption using your own words. Make Sunday mornings time for community worship in our church. Practice forgiveness. Take down the walls that separate us and build bonds of friendship that unify us. Help make 2026 a year of grace, of love for God, and love for one another.