As I write, we’re closing in on the end of another year. That is, according to the calendar used in most of the world—there are other calendars used in other cultures. Whatever calendar is in use, it’s common to pause at the end of the year, looking back on events, milestones, and so on. Television, print publications, and social media are currently filled with such retrospectives.

Actually, this kind of looking back has pretty good scriptural support. Under the Mosaic Law, Israel’s religious activity revolved around annual feasts. Passover was an annual look-back to the deliverance from slavery in Egypt. The Feast of Weeks (also called Pentecost or First-fruits) and the Feast of Booths (Ingathering) were shorter-term, celebrating the beginning and the conclusion of the harvest—there would be food for another year. Closely tied to Ingathering was the Day of Atonement, an annual look-back and reminder of sin and the ongoing need for grace.

Even our regular (weekly for many) remembrance of our Lord in bread and wine is in part a looking back. We look back to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the salvation he accomplished. And on a personal level, we look back and confess our failures and seek grace…again. This remembrance is also, by the command of the Lord himself, a looking forward: “proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes,” as Paul puts it (1 Corinthians 11:26). The combination of looking back and looking forward is, of course, very common in the secular world too.

Anyway, it strikes me as not a bad thing to stop for a moment and think back over the past year. What were our spiritual gains—or losses? Did we accomplish what we hoped during this year? Did we accomplish anything worthwhile from a spiritual perspective? Some of these questions get uncomfortable.

No time interval is given, but we are strongly advised to do some retrospective thinking: “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.” (2 Corinthians 13:5) If your Bible includes cross references, you can follow them to find related thoughts in both Old and New Testaments. Self-examination requires looking back, but it implies looking forward as well.

At this time of year, a lot of people make “new year’s resolutions” to make changes going forward. These range from frivolous to deeply felt commitments to change. You can do what you like about the lighter ones. But if your looking back makes you think that some weightier ones are needed, I pray that God will bless you to follow through.

Whatever calendar you use, and whatever time of year it is for you now, I pray you’ll be blessed in looking back, encouraged by spiritual successes of the past year. I pray for fruitful commitment and spiritual success going forward. I pray the year ahead will be filled with joy in the hope of the gospel. And I pray this may be the year of ultimate joy, in which our Lord comes, as God promised: “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.” (Malachi 4:2)

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)

Love, Paul