[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during January 2022]
Another night of revelry, another hangover, another change of the calendar, another tranche of short-lived resolutions, another covid variant, another round of restrictions, another series of rebellions against restrictions. Day follows night, night follows day; the earth keeps turning “like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel, never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel”[1]
Do you ever wonder about the point of it all? The writer of Ecclesiastes had a similar thought:
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.
[Ecclesiastes 2 v11 NIVUK]
We often think of the new year as offering the chance for a new start but it is a start from where we’re at. Our new start has to be built on the foundation of what has gone before and that can be discouraging. Maybe it is easier to let life roll just as before.
The word ‘revolution’ comes from the same root as revolve; to turn round or rotate. We think of the hands of a clock rotating at 2, 24 or 1,440 revolutions per day, or a car engine rotating at several thousand revolutions per minute. The latter reminds us of the three phases of the industrial revolution: mechanisation, mass-production, and then the expansion of digital technology. Those who can’t keep up are at risk of being sidelined and abandoned.
Revolutions are not solely mechanical; the word can also refer to a significant social or political change. Perhaps one of the most infamous was the French revolution of 1787 during which some 16,600 people were killed. The eventual outcome was a more equitable society in France. The consequences of the English revolution of 1688 included changes to the status of the monarchy and tolerance for certain religious non-conformists.
What about a spiritual revolution? It is said that the early Christians turned the world upside down; some might argue that the world needs to see that impact repeated. What would such a revolution require? Certainly, a closer walk with God, more diligence in reading the Bible, more enthusiasm in prayer, closer relationships in God’s family. Maybe those are the resolutions that we should ask God to help us with this year.
If sustained, such resolutions could indeed lead to a spiritual revolution. It will require determination, discomfort and potential sacrifice, and its full benefits may not be seen in our lifetime. Are you willing to be part of the new revolution?
[1]: The Windmills of your Mind, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, 1968.
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author
