Reflections on 2020 and the Dawn of a New Year
Favor is better than silver and gold.
When I think of our family’s journey through 2020, the passage of scripture that is most imprinted upon my mind is Proverbs 22:1, “…favor is better than silver or gold.” Regardless of circumstance, if the Lord’s favor is with You, there is no need to worry. There’s no need to fear, no need to stress about tomorrow or the unknown, no need to try and please others or to defend yourself, and there’s no need to lose sleep over things you can’t control.
I like how the prophet Micah puts it, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). The Bible is packed full with promises to those who humbly obey God and walk in love. We as a family have sought to do this through the bumpy road that was 2020. I can say confidently on behalf of my whole family, we have never felt more loved and cared for by God. He has gone out of His way to show His approval of our ministry, to bless and provide for us, to protect us, and to send us down a path blessed with the abundance of His favor. In a season of trouble and difficulty, the Lord was sustaining and blessing us. Silver and gold could never buy this! In fact, all the things the world promotes from wealth, power, position, influence, and popularity; none of these compares to walking in the favor of God. Only the favor of God sustains through good times and bad times, through sunlight and darkness.
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
I’m reminded of the Lord’s servants whom the king tried to throw into the fiery furnace (Daniel 3). They did have to go into the fire, but they experienced the power and presence of God like never before. Those who threw them into the fire were burned, but the Lord’s servants came out not even smelling like smoke. Such was the miraculous work of God for our family in 2020. And we feel so blessed and thankful. Truly favor is better than silver and gold!
Tomorrow we will officially begin our new ministry with our FBC Glencoe family, where I will serve as Pastor of Worship and Discipleship. We have been so humbled and blessed that our brothers and sisters in Christ in Glencoe, who hardly know us, have given us such an outpouring of love. They have gone out of their way to love on us, serve us, and work to make our transition to Glencoe smooth and good. What a blessing they have been!
I am especially thankful for my new friend and partner in ministry – Donny Yarbrough! Donny is a passionate warrior for the Kingdom of God. He sets the example for pastoral leadership by humbly loving and modeling a servant’s heart. He has a passion for the gospel and the Word of God and this permeates all of our conversations together — I love that and I need that! Last Sunday morning when I thought he’d be preparing for his morning message, he was out buying keys for us to put on our storage unit where we are having to put our things for a few weeks. This is just one example of so many I could point out of how Donny models how to love others. Our whole family is already overflowing with love and thankfulness for the whole Yarbrough crew.
For behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the LORD, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.”
Because of God’s great favor and blessing, He has called us to this beautiful land in Alabama, the “land of my fathers” (Jeremiah 30:3) — a place where generations of Wrights were established and flourished. And now by His grace, we return according to the Lord’s good pleasure and the great work that He has in store.
We will miss so many in Fernandina who have grown so dear to us, faithful friends and partners in the Lord. Thank you for loving us, praying with us, and showing the Lord’s kindness as we have gone through this transition.
2020 has been a time where the Lord has been shaking the nations and shaking His Church. I’m confident that as we move into this new year, the Lord is up to significant things within His Church. He is whittling away the chaff and building a more strong and healthy Church, a Church that is dependent upon the power and presence of God and not the fleeting wisdom of the age.
Please hear my praise and thankfulness to God for His great favor and grace — for His Word and His Kingdom that will never fail. I’m looking forward to seeing what God has in store for 2021.
The Lord is up to significant things within His Church. He is whittling away the chaff and building a more strong and healthy Church, a Church that is dependent upon the power and presence of God and not the fleeting wisdom of the age.
