The fruit of the past is hope for the future
A blank sheet of paper for a new year: who will write the story of 2026?
Speech at the Alltimers meeting in January 2026
How wonderful that we are gathered here for the first Alltimers meeting of 2026. I would like to start this morning with a prayer for a receptive heart to the Word of God.
Lord, I pray that our hearts will be receptive to what You want to say to us. Let us focus solely on You. Thank You that we have received our lives from You in these turbulent times full of uncertainty and doubt about the future. We can be sure of one thing: You are always with us. You are here, Lord. Thank You that we may ask for Your blessing on the Word and the thoughts I am about to share.
We live in turbulent times, full of uncertainty and doubt about what is to come. That is precisely why today’s theme is so powerful: the fruit of the past is hope for the future.
Blank page
The Christmas tree is out the door, the last echo of the fireworks has faded, and the bowls of doughnuts are empty. We are on the threshold of a new phase. We have left the year 2025 behind us. Ahead of us lies 2026, a blank page that we have yet to fill with everything we experience, hear, and say. It will be a page full of new experiences and precious memories.
Around the turn of the year, many people make resolutions. You want to walk more, eat healthier, or make more time for prayer and the Bible. This year offers you the opportunity to leave baggage behind. You can let go of certain aspects of the past and take only the good with you to grow and be a blessing to others.
Two neighbors
I recently heard a beautiful story that perfectly illustrates the choice we face. There were two neighbors: one a staunch supporter of Wilders and the other a Green Left supporter wearing gray wool socks. They had nothing in common and regularly clashed over politics. Around the turn of the year, when it was slippery, the Green Left supporter slipped. As he lay there moaning in pain on the ground, his neighbor came over to him. He looked down and said, “Well, what am I going to do with you now? Come on, neighbor, all the best for the new year. Shall I give you a hand?”
The question for you is simple: will you take that hand? Do you dare to take the hand of something or someone who does not immediately suit you? We are entering a new phase in which we can take hold of God’s outstretched hand. You can say goodbye to old things and face the future together with the Lord.
Continuity
In the Bible, we often encounter moments of farewell that also mark a new future. Think of the farewell between Moses and Joshua. There you see continuity, because God’s work never stops. Moses had grown old after years of wandering through the desert with that grumbling people. Due to a mistake at the end of his life, he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. He trained Joshua to take over the torch. It is like a relay race in which you pass the baton to the next runner.
We see this in our own time as well. The younger generation is taking over from respected men such as Karel Hoekendijk, Hans Koornstra, and the Maasbach family. A new generation of young preachers is emerging, powerfully proclaiming the Gospel. We should not pit the old against the new. We are one team, a relay team that achieves victory together through the unity that God has in mind.
Internalization
Another example is the Ascension. When Jesus was still walking on earth, the disciples could lean on Him and ask Him anything. After His departure, they had to grow up and stand on their own two feet through the Holy Spirit. Think of it as a child learning to ride a bike. At first, the training wheels are still on, but one day they come off and you have to do it yourself, depending on God’s guidance.
Entrusting
Consider also Paul’s emotional farewell to the church in Ephesus. In Acts 20:32, he says, according to the NIV: “Now I entrust you to God and to the word of his grace, which has the power to build you up and give you an inheritance among all the saints.”
Paul said goodbye with the deep certainty that the foundation was solid enough. He left the church in the hands of God’s goodness.
Eben-Ezer
The book of Samuel contains a remarkable story about setting a marker. The people of Israel were in a deep valley due to idolatry and oppression by the Philistines. They begged Samuel for salvation. They broke with evil and began to pray and fast. At that very moment, the enemies attacked, but God intervened with thunderous violence. The enemy was completely confused and fled.
Samuel then placed a stone between Mizpah and Sen and called it Ebenezer. He said, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” That was a moment to remember. We too can place a stone between 2025 and 2026. A point in time when you can look back and say, “That’s when God intervened, and that’s when I rededicated myself to Him.”
The words “thus far” also mean that there will be a sequel. God’s help does not stop. His work continues, even when we are no longer here. The Kingdom of God will break through with power through a new generation of passionate people.
Backpack
It is essential that you do not carry the baggage of the past into the future. That baggage weighs heavily on your shoulders like an overfilled backpack. Of course, you take your Bible, your hymn book, and your faith with you. But sometimes you also carry stones that make life unnecessarily difficult.
What stones are in your backpack? Perhaps they are worries about your children or grandchildren and the world in which they are growing up. Or worries about the future of the church. Today, the Lord asks you to let go of those worries. Trust that His work will continue. Leave those heavy stones behind and travel on with only the Word and the Spirit.
The liberation of forgiveness
Unforgiveness is one of the heaviest stones you can carry. This is not a trite subject; it is relevant every day because we can be hurt again and again. Fifteen years ago, I myself was in a difficult situation within a church. I carried with me the names of three people who had hurt me deeply. They were stones in my backpack. Early one morning, I got up and said, “Lord, I want to get rid of these stones.” I said their names out loud and said, “I forgive them in the name of Jesus.” At that moment, I felt the burden lift from me.
Forgiveness is sometimes a daily task. Don’t keep bringing up old issues. I knew someone who missed out on a promotion and could never get over it. It ate away at him so much that he eventually couldn’t work anymore. Let it go and give it to the Lord.
The same applies to self-reproach. The evil one likes to remind you of small mistakes from the past, while God has long since forgiven them. Don’t let yourself be held hostage by that accuser.
God is doing something new
Isaiah 43 contains a beautiful promise: “Do not dwell on the past, do not think back on what was. Behold, I am doing something new, now it is happening. Don’t you notice? I am making a way through the desert.”God has good things in store for you in 2026. Do you still have faith in that? Do you dare to take those next steps with Him?
Preserving jars
A prophetess recently shared a beautiful image about preserving jars stored in the back of the cupboard. The clamps are tightly fastened, but the jars are full of wonderful fruits. God wants those fruits to come out. He wants you to bring that jar forward, take off the lid, and enjoy the fruit of what has been.
What has the Lord done in your life that is now behind a closed lid? Perhaps the joy of your conversion or your first commitment is a little hidden away. The Lord says, “Take off that lid and enjoy it again. Share it with others.” And you must replant the seed that is in the fruit. That is how God’s DNA will continue into the future.
The bottles must be opened. Perhaps we should introduce an eleventh commandment: thou shalt enjoy. Enjoy the moment and what God has done. Feast on the fruit and make sure the seed gets into the ground for the generations after us.
With hope
We stand at Eben-Ezer, our stone of help between the old and the new year. The page is blank. We leave the ballast behind and draw from the treasure trove of God’s grace. The coming time will be filled with testimonies and stories about Jesus who heals and liberates. Take the hand that pulls you into the new year. Let the Lord lead you across the border so that you do not get stuck in the past.
As we grow older, we feel our vulnerability and our dependence on God more strongly than ever. That dependence is not a weakness, but our strength in Jesus Christ. In that certainty, we enter the year 2026 with peace and confidence.
I gave this speech at the Alltimers, the senior citizens' group of the Living Gospel Church.
@wimvanputten