Renewed for a new year

Blessings to all of you in the new year.
Isaiah 43: “1But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
I am clinging to the scripture texts so deeply these days. God claims us, identifies us as His, Children of God, beloved and redeemed! 2022 is a brand-new year, a new chance to share God’s love, to help each other and encourage and empower our children. Our baptismal responsibility is to do just that, to pray for and encourage young lives in the faith that gives us a name, Child of God. 
Some of you know that recently my son died. It was the most devastating experience that will haunt me for a very long time.  And yet I know that being a child of God is a blessing, and I will see my son again.  I trust that God called him, and that God redeemed him. As I walk through this valley, I trust that God is there right beside me.
God’s love and grace abound, and from Romans 8, “26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
In our lives there are always times when we are not at our best, and God walks with us, God carries us when we can’t even walk, and as Romans 8 says, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness when all we can do is sigh. Trust in that blessing, and know that God fills us with all that we need.
Gracious heavenly Father, thank you for all that you do for us. Give us the strength and the courage to take the next step, and to move forward knowing that you lead us and direct us. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.