If you are like me, you are excited for this year but also maybe a little apprehensive. What will the year bring? Some of you wish that 2024 never ended. It was a good year for you. For others, 2025 couldn’t come soon enough. You look back on the year that was, and just sigh. Or worse.

You want a good verse to meditate on in 2025?

Allow me to offer some context for the verse I propose. It is found in Deuteronomy 11, which could easily be titled, Love and Obedience Rewarded. As the people of Israel journey toward the Promised Land, Moses gives them some instructions. I want to look at one of those instructions today. Moses tells the people that the land to which they are headed is nothing like the land they left behind. This new land in front of them will be different than the land behind them. This new land will require them to think and act differently. It is a land that God will tend and care for. Moses tells the people that if they rely on God, He will provide for them.

Let me parallel that image of a new and different land with the year in front of us. It is also a journey into the unknown. It will most likely be different than the year we just came through. Think of this new year was that new land that Moses talked about. I believe that God promises us the same thing – if we depend on Him, He will never fail us. Sure, there will be mountains and there will be valleys, there will be sun and there will be clouds, there will be bright days and there will be dark nights, there will be joys and there will be tears, but for those who trust in Him, no drought, no flood, no hurt, no fears, no disappointment, no loss, nothing, is too great for God to guide around or through.

Okay, let’s look at the setup verse… “The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden” (Deuteronomy 11:10).

Now, here is the verse I will meditate on each and every day in 2025, and I propose the same for you … “But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end” (11:11-12).

2025 is our new land! I do not know what lies ahead in 2025, but one thing I am confident of is this – “And my God will meet all (my) your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

I will end with another verse as well as song lyrics –

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit’” (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

“This land is your land, and this land is my land … this land was made for you and me.” (“This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie)

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If you have ever been to the beach, you have undoubtedly seen the ridge of sand that lies between the beach and the land behind it. Sand dunes are formed over many years when windblown sand gets trapped by beach grasses or other vegetation. These dunes play a vital role in protecting both the adjacent beach and the inland areas behind them. In addition, dunes provide nesting habitat for coastal and migratory birds. In some areas, man-made dunes are created by bulldozing piles of sand to the back of the beach. At the beach that was nearest our home in North Carolina, each year local residents were asked to drop off the Christmas trees that would then be used build up and fortify the dunes.

We all have personal sand dunes, helping to protect us from harm. We put on suntan lotion to keep us from getting sunburned. We use bug spray to keep us from being bitten by mosquitoes and other insects. We wear hats and gloves in sub-freezing weather to avoid frostbite. To protect our yards and homes we install fencing and security systems. Hopefully you wear your seat belt when riding in a vehicle. Kids riding in cars must be secured by car seats, seemingly these days until they are freshmen in high school. I am inclined to do dumb stuff; so, thankfully, I have a wife who repeatedly acts as a dune, keeping me from harming myself or others.

One danger that many of us fail to protect ourselves against is the enemy of God, known as Satan; also referred to as the devil. The Bible uses other names as well. Here are just five – accuser, adversary, evil one, father of lies, thief. How Satan came to be Satan is for another day, but in my opinion, the Bible is clear that Satan does exist, and loves nothing more than to trick us, tempt us, and draw us into sinful behavior; behavior that ultimately harms us and others.

The vast majority of us have dunes in place to keep us from committing murder or robbing a bank. Where we often fail is in those things we categorize as “little” dangers; things like gossip, lust, greed, pride, stealing Post-It Notes from our employer, little white lies. Those little dangers (sins) are dangerous, no less so than the ones we consider to be big. And often when we are at our strongest, it is those times that we are also at our weakest spiritually.

A good illustration of this is King David. As king, he was enjoying unprecedented success, fame, and wealth. He was seemingly invincible. Or so he thought. I am sure you are familiar with the story found in 2 Samuel 11 in which as David stood on his rooftop he saw a beautiful woman bathing, and if you know that story (even if you don’t), it went rapidly downhill from there.          

Think of it like this. We all know to lock our front door to provide safety from the big and obvious dangers. But, so often, we fail to lock our back door, thus allowing Satan quiet, and often unnoticed, access to our lives. If you are a Jesus-follower, every single day you are in a spiritual battle for your soul. Thankfully, you do not fight that battle alone. God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is your personal sand dune, protecting you from Satan’s dangers. We find these words in 2 Thessalonians 3:3 – “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.”

Jesus, in showing us how to pray, offers this – “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

The apostle Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God as a sand dune against the schemes of Satan (Ephesians 6:10-17).   

So, as you jump into this new year, do you have a sand dune built into your life to help keep you safe? And, because life erodes away at that dune, will you continually strive to keep that dune built up and fortified? Right now, ask the Holy Spirit to be your sand dune while keeping your eyes and ears open, looking for, and fleeing from, the dangers that lurk all around you.

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