Gratitude for the past, faith for the future
December 17, 2925 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Erton C. Köhler
As another year comes to a close, we look back, not with nostalgia, but with great gratitude. Amid the storms, we discovered that God never failed to place in our hands the paddles needed to cross rough seas, and on our feet sturdy shoes to walk steadily along steep paths. Each step we took reaffirmed that divine guidance never fails.
The psalmist reminds us: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Ps. 103:2). Gratitude is an exercise of spiritual memory. When we record the blessings of the past, our confidence in the future is renewed. We should count our blessings and speak of God’s mercy and love. For if we do so, we will be strengthened, and our lives will be enriched.
The urgency of the church’s mission is sustained by a spirit of gratitude. Remembering what God has already done expands our faith to accept challenges that lie ahead. This was true of Israel when it remembered the Lord’s deliverances as it advanced toward the Promised Land. And so it must be with us today as we proclaim the gospel message. Remembering past blessings provides constant fuel for fulfilling the mission in the present. As Moses commanded: “Remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you” (Deut. 8:2, ESV).
Gratitude also generates praise. Not superficial praise, but deep worship that recognizes each victory as a gift of grace. Such praise becomes a testimony to the world, for a grateful heart is a missionary heart. “Nothing tends more to promote health of body and of soul than does a spirit of gratitude and praise.”[*] A church that praises in this way is a healthy, integrated, evangelistic, and mobilized church.
As we approach the new year, we carry with us, above all, divine certainties. The same God who guided each remnant in the past will guide His church, our homes, and personal journeys in the future. He is the one who sustains our steps, strengthens our hands, and calls us to begin 2026 with confidence and expectation in the greatest of all events—the soon return of Jesus.
At the end of this year, may we tenderly recall the privilege of having walked together. May gratitude fill our families, may hope unite our church, and may mission be our renewed priority. May every reader and member of the global Adventist Church close this year with praise on their lips and renewed, unshakable confidence in their hearts. Thus, grounded in the Bible and focused on the mission, we will enter a new year together, certain that soon we will see the Lord return in the clouds of heaven.
Maranatha! And a happy 2026!
[*] Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1905), p. 251.