6 Ways to Reflect on God’s Goodness over the Past Year

6 Ways to Reflect on God’s Goodness over the Past Year

As I have written in many of my articles over this past year, this year has been one of the hardest years of my life. There have been troubles, hardships, and health illnesses around every corner. To be honest, I'm ready for a new year to begin. My prayer and hope is that this year will be better and that each year after will continue to improve. Isn't this what we all hope for? 

We want a better year, even if we have had a good year. Very rarely do we reflect on what we have learned or what God has taught us over the course of the past year. Instead, we only focus on the negative. This is something that I do, and I need to get better at addressing this thought process. However, in your own life, what might it look like if you started reflecting on God’s goodness this past year rather than looking only at the negative aspects?

Choosing to focus on God’s goodness will prove to be beneficial in this life as well as in the life to come. God’s goodness is abounding, and it will never change. He will never withhold anything good from our lives (James 1:17). God is not some sort of angry, vengeful God, trying to destroy mankind. Instead, He is caring, loving, compassionate, and good (Psalm 145:8-9). 

Here are six ways to reflect on God’s goodness over this past year.

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  • woman outdoors writing in gratitude journal

    1. Consulting Your Prayer Journal

    One of the best ways to reflect on God’s goodness over this past year is to consult your prayer journal. In your prayer journal, you would have written all of your prayer requests, and when they were answered, you would have checked them off and written down how they were answered. This is a wonderful way to notice how God is working in your life. However, this only works if you have kept a prayer journal over the course of the year. 

    If you have not kept a prayer journal, it might be hard to track all of the answered prayers over this past year. You can try to remember all of them, but it might be a bit difficult. If you didn't have a journal last year, consider starting a prayer journal for this upcoming new year. It will help you keep track of all of the answered prayers from God. 

    Some people might find them a bit repetitive or redundant, but they are actually extremely helpful. Once you get into the habit of logging your prayers and how you have seen God answer them, it can be encouraging. Rather than being indifferent to God, you will be able to see Him moving in your life. This can bring great hope and happiness into your heart, and it will also help you see His goodness.

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    2. Reflecting on Memories

    Reflecting upon all the memories from this year can also help us see God’s goodness over this past year. When I say memories, I mean both the good and the bad memories. Some people believe that we can only see God in the good times, but this is not true. We can see God in both the good and the bad times. In the good times, we see God’s goodness in His blessings and love. However, we also see Him in the bad times, such as in His comfort and peace. 

    When we reflect upon these memories, we are able to see God’s goodness in different ways. Maybe we have had a lot of bad memories this year, yet God doesn’t leave us in the pain. He comes and sits beside us. While He doesn’t always bring us out of the hard situation, He will be beside us through it all. And at the end of the day, this is what we need.

    Terrible times will happen in our lives, but we must not resist them. We don’t need to pretend as though they are not real or they won’t ever happen in our life. Each of us will be faced with pain, sickness, and death. It is good to be aware of these things in order to lean closer to God and acknowledge our dependence on Him. At times, we can feel so very small, yet when we look at God when we are walking through the darkness, we see His goodness.

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    3. Focusing on the Past Faithfulness of God

    If this year has been nothing but turmoil, it can be hard to find the goodness of God. However, even though it is hard, it is not impossible. Think about all the ways God has come through for you this year. Maybe this was helping you get better from an illness, to reconnect with a friend, or to start over at a new job. Each of these things is a blessing from God. Rather than believing that they simply came into being by chance, remember that they are from God.

    Since He has been faithful in the past, we can trust that He will be faithful in the future. The Bible tells us about the faithfulness of God, “Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies” (Psalm 36:5). God’s love and faithfulness are amazing. There is no limit to the goodness of God and the help He will provide. As believers, we don’t need to doubt the amazing things God can do, as well as the things He has already done in our lives.

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    4. Seeing the Happiness of Those Around You

    When I’m having a hard time seeing God’s loving hand on my life, I look around me. If I see my loved ones happy, it helps me to see God’s goodness. He has blessed them with good health and happy homes. In truth, what is there more to ask for? To know that they are happy and rejoicing in the Lord is the greatest thing. Through their happiness, I can see God’s goodness and grace.

    Even though we might not be happy at the present time, we can look forward to brighter days. Maybe this year was just not our year. We tried our best, but it was a year of trials. Trust in God during this time and know that the trial will not endure forever. God will continue to teach us many important lessons; however, they will not always be as painful.

    He doesn’t cause bad things to happen, or pain, yet God can bring beauty out of the darkest situations (Isaiah 61:3). As we reflect on this past year, we need to challenge ourselves to see God even if we are not happy. By looking at our family and friend’s happiness, it can also bring joy into our heart and see all of God’s blessings.

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    5. Noticing All of the Little Blessings

    In our hectic culture today, it is hard to slow down and notice all the little things. Instead of focusing on God, we focus on all of the problems. If we are always focusing on our problems, then we will never see God’s goodness. We will only focus on problems and lose faith in God. Rather than spiraling down into negative thoughts, we need to take notice of all of the little blessings of God.

    Ultimately, this is how we can see the goodness of God in a real, tangible way. A few little blessings you may have noticed in your life are the gentle rain of a fall morning, the first fall of snow, or the call from a friend you haven’t heard from in a while. By reflecting on these little blessings, God’s goodness will be revealed to you. Reflect upon this past year and try to remember all of the beautiful little blessings from God.

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    6. The Promise of a New Start in the New Year

    Maybe this year was a complete washout. Nothing good happened, and it was filled with pain. Your feelings are valid, and you need to leave space for them. Don’t beat yourself up, and don’t force yourself to act okay when you are not. Doing either of these things has never helped anyone. Be honest and genuine in your feelings, and give them over to God. He wants to hear your thoughts, worries, and concerns. 

    He will provide you with the comfort that you need (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). However, He also wants you to move forward. With the start of the new year, God is giving you a new start. It is a new start to start over. Maybe you need to get out of a bad relationship or pursue the career path you truly want to be on. Talk your feelings out with God and allow Him to direct your steps. Rejoice in the promise that God is giving you a new start this year.

    In truth, this is one of God’s biggest blessings and a sign of His goodness. We could be caught in a never ending cycle of the same year. God, instead, chooses to give us a fresh start each year. We can truly start over and change the course of our lives by the help of God. With His love, support, and goodness, we will be able to move mountains this upcoming year.

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    Vivian Bricker author bio photoVivian Bricker obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry, followed by a Master of Arts with an emphasis in theology. She loves all things theology, mission work, and helping others learn about Jesus. Find more of her content at Cultivate: https://cultivatechristianity.wordpress.com/.