2020: The Year of Faithfulness

Written by Faith Avery

For the last three years, I’ve prayed and fasted about what I’ve wanted to come forth in the new year. 2018 was the “Year of Manifestation” (we’ll talk about the issues with this on another day); I made a practice of speaking power and life into myself and those around me. 2019 was the “Year of Abundance”; I wanted to receive everything God had for me, exceedingly and abundantly.

When I sat down in December 2019 to pray about what 2020 would bring, no catchy word or phrase came to me. I knew that I wanted 2020 to be the best year yet since we were beginning a new decade, but I had no idea what expectations to set. My only true desire was to grow closer to God and be unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I spent the first 25 days of January 2020 doing the Daniel Fast with my home church and Transformation Church (with Pastor Mike Todd). Each day had a theme with scriptures and prayer points. On the 12th day of my fast, God gave me revelation for the year 2020. This revelation affirmed the word God had been giving me for six months prior that I had yet to understand.

From June 2019 to January 2020, it seemed like no matter what church or Bible study I went to, I kept hearing two things:

1. Different explanations of “Abraham Tested”, in which God instructed Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22)

2. Varying messages about love (platonic, romantic, familial, etc), all pointing back to Mark 12:30 which instructs us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”.

All of the explanations highlighted the great faith of both Abraham and Isaac through Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice (and Isaac’s willingness to be sacrificed), as well as the great love Abraham had for God through his show of obedience. Though many may see these points as an obvious instruction to be obedient or have a willingness to sacrifice, I knew that wasn’t quite what God was speaking to me.

On January 17, 2020, it all came together. For that day of the fast, we were to read 1 Kings 2:3-4 and Hebrews 10:23-25. 1 Kings, discusses walking in obedience to God and you will prosper. Verse 4 highlights that if your descendants (in context: David’s descendants) are faithful to God, they will always be on the throne of Israel.

Though this isn’t our exact reality today, it reminded me of God’s promise to Abraham that his descendants would be numerous, so long as he continued to follow God’s commands. Abraham was faithful in leaving his family, committing to circumcision, and sacrificing his son, so God was faithful and kept his promise to him. At the end of the 1 Kings scripture and Hebrews, it talks about loving God with our heart and soul and “[holding] unswervingly to the hope we profess”. Of course, this reminded me of the call of Mark 12:30. It reminded me of the single vow I made to God at the beginning of 2020: to be unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which required my hope to be as unwavering as my faith.

Then it clicked. That’s exactly what God (politely) yelled at me for the past 6 months. He was simply calling me to be faithful to Him. To live an unashamed life and claim Him as my Lord and Savior out loud. To be obedient when He calls me and move without hesitation. To love Him with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. And that when I am tired and weary, the joy of the Lord is my strength.

With this Word, I embarked on 2020 with joy and optimism. I had no idea, though, what faithfulness would end up looking like. That I would spend 10 months of 2020 doing some type of fast to stretch my faith and depend on God. Or that my faith would be tested as my school shut down, my summer study abroad trip was canceled, and I spent the rest of 2020 (and 2021 thus far) not on UT’s campus, but in my childhood bedroom in a hometown of which I’m not too fond.

As I reflected on 2020, I came across a note I wrote on February 16, 2020. God spoke to me that “Faithfulness is more than just being a faithful follower of God. It is being faithful in school, friendships, work, etc. Remain strong in your resolve and let your faithfulness be evident in all aspects of your life. Stay the course”. I never would have imagined that I’d have to do my best to maintain faith over feelings through online classes, school activities, friendships, racial injustice, and a pandemic.

Even in all of these unexpected twists and turns on the road of faithfulness, God never failed to remain faithful to me. As I pressed into the Word, fasted, and stayed consistent in my faith community, God showed himself to be a man of His Word. I could go on about the material things that God has blessed me with, but ultimately, the biggest blessing I received in 2020 was my spiritual growth and an awareness of God’s glory and sovereignty.

I want to encourage you that through hills and valleys, our ultimate call is to walk and abound in faith. Let the testing of your faith produce perseverance (James 1:3).