He is Near

“Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things…” (John 16:29)

Like the disciples in this moment, we often feel more settled when there is clarity rather than mystery. This is simply human nature. Yet each new year ushers in twelve months of unknowns—space where almost anything is possible.

Over time, and with spiritual maturity, something begins to shift in the disciples’ second statement: “Now we can see that you know all things.” It’s one thing to experience peace when uncertainty gives way to understanding. It’s quite another to trust that when life remains unclear, God is not confused or distant. Maturity in Christ means learning to believe that even in mystery, God is fully aware and fully in control.

That doesn’t always bring the same immediate peace we feel when circumstances are resolved. But it does provide a deeper steadiness—a settled confidence that carries us through seasons of obscurity.

As we step into a new year filled with both challenges and victories, we are invited to grow in trust. Even when God’s ways and instructions are difficult to understand, trusting Him in the unknown leads us toward peace—not because everything makes sense, but because we know He is near.

Pastor Cris Buck