A new hope for 2020

Christmas and the New Year celebrations have come and gone.

For most of us, the decorations have been put away for another year and the wrapping paper is in the recycling bin. Farmers, resplendent in the new woolly socks, gloves and hats, which they received for Christmas, are back to the daily routine of winter work.

It will not be very long before the days will begin to lengthen and signs of new life will creep back to the land. The dark days of winter giving way to the anticipation of something better.

We are at the beginning of not just a new year, but also a new decade, with all the opportunities and challenges, which that will bring. Farmers are resourceful people who normally look to the future with confidence. They are the type who will pay high prices for store cattle, even when the beef price looks shaky because it is bound to turn around and get better. They will keep on building up and investing in the farm to make it run better and run more efficiently, to provide a strong base for the next generation.

In the midst of confidence, however, there can also be uncertainty. Will spring arrive before the silage runs out, will the 2020’s weather be good, will we pass the next herd test or farm inspection. And what about the 3 B’s - Boris, Brexit and Borders – how will they affect the future of the farming industry here and the rest of the island?

Many people in the world today are looking for hope and certainty for the future but often they are looking in the wrong places. The hope which all of us needs is found through repentance of sin and putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. The Bible frequently reminds us that the only hope for men, women and young people is through trusting in Jesus Christ for both time and eternity. Knowing His presence with us now and the confidence of spending eternity with the Lord in heaven.

In the Bible, the Book of Hebrews describes the Christian hope in this way. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19). Many a mighty ship was saved in a storm because of a secure anchor and many were wrecked when an anchor failed. When our faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ, He is our firm and secure anchor.

Jesus will hold us safe against any of life’s storms, as He is totally reliable. Whatever 2020 may hold for farmers and all the other industries who rely on them for business, we can have this great firm and secure hope, which Jesus promises us through the pages of the Bible.

I pray that all of our farmers will be able to go into the New Year, and the new decade, with hope and confidence. That the weather will be kind and all involved in the industry will be kept safe, as they work hard. But above all else, that each of us may know the firm and secure hope which comes from having Jesus as the anchor for our souls.

Rev David Reid is minister of Ardstraw and Douglas Presbyterian Churches in West Tyrone. He is married to Valerie and they have four children and two grandchildren. David was a full-time farmer for 18 years before being called to the Ministry.

If you would like to talk to someone about any of the issues raised in this article, please email Rev Kenny Hanna at [email protected] or call him on 028 9753 1234.