Have you heard anyone say, “My word for the year is…”?
I’d like to explain about the word of the year because you really need to be careful if you are going to participate.
When I started fasting for 21 days in January every year, I noticed when I would read my Bible, meditate on Scripture, hear my pastor preach, pray and worship there would be a common thread unlike any other time during the year. I analyze data as part of my job, and when I start seeing a trend in data, I stop and investigate. This theme was no exception. My investigation skills from my job kicked in, and I began studying whatever God was showing me.
I would take this theme and research it. I spent time during the fast digging into the Scripture regarding this thought or theme, and each time it could be summed up with one word. God would reveal this word outside of His word. One time I was on a trip in another state, and this word was on a sign. One year without telling anyone what the Lord was speaking to my heart, different individuals came up and talked to me about the word He had laid on my heart.
Choosing a word should not be of your doing. If it is a word you have selected because of your desire or because it sounds good, then you will be disappointed because it won’t mean anything in your relationship with God. It’s like looking for signs of God leading you, and you’re taking everything as a sign from God. That will lead you all kind of weird places and not where He was leading at all. You cannot force the Spirit to do your will. The fast is to learn God’s will and conform to it.
One year, He gave me two words, hope and revive. Never before has He done that. For two years in a row, He gave my mom the same word. We teased her saying she must not have learned what He had wanted to teach her, so she had to repeat. Of course that’s not true because words can have multiple meanings.
I will also tell you that you may not like the word He gives you. Words like persevere, patience, be still, and courage are difficult words to live. What are you going to do with that? You asked Him to speak to you. You asked Him for a word, and when He gives you a word you can’t just ignore it because you don’t like it and want a different one. That’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works.
Expect the word He provides to stretch you, grow you and take you outside your comfort zone because it’s only outside our comfort zone that we grow. It’s not always pretty, but the results are amazing.
By claiming a word, you are telling people you have spent time with God. You are telling people to hold you accountable. This year, I’ll only be telling my accountability partner the word God provides, if He provides one.
That’s the other thing. What if God chooses not to provide a word for you? Does that mean you don’t have a strong relationship with Him? Absolutely not. It just means He has something different in store for you. God does not have to provide a word just because you ask for it. This isn’t a gimmick. You can’t conjure the Holy Spirit into giving you a word, so you fit in. If you receive a word, it’s between you and God and an accountability partner. It’s personal. It’s intimate, and if the Spirit chooses not to give you a word then seek Him, find out what He wants you to learn. He will show you. He’s good like that.
I hope this clears up any misconceptions about “My word for the year is…”. It’s not something to go at all willy-nilly. It’s serious. It requires a lot of time with your Father, you Savior and the Spirit. I hope you will invest in your relationship with Him. You won’t be sorry. I promise.