How many times have we read the Christmas story from Luke 1 and 2?
Last month, as I (Donna) was leading an Advent Bible Study on Luke 1 and 2, this verse stood out to me as if I had never read it before. Do I, without doubt, believe what the Lord has said to me? Do I believe what He has said will be accomplished? Mary, a young lady, a virgin, would give birth to a holy child, quite unfathomable, yet she believed. I want to be more like Mary. As I looked at the characters in the Luke 1 and 2 narrative, some doubted, and some believed.
For many years now, Paul and I have spent time reflecting on the past year and praying for the new year. We chose a word for the year that we feel God is impressing on us. We ask God to help us set goals for the new year. Is there anything we need to give up or release? During that time of prayer, I kept coming back to this verse, especially the idea of believing that what God has said will be accomplished; another version says the Lord will fulfill His promise. I will be spending much of 2026 looking at the almost 300 references to believe in scripture and asking God to remove any unbelief that I may have. God did some really big things in 2025, and we feel that there will be even more in 2026. May I be like Mary, who believed that what the Lord said to her would be accomplished.
As I (Paul) reflected on 2025, in particular the last half, the recurring theme is: but God. As you know from our Leaving for Kenya—But not to Teach blog, we did not even bother to pray for new books, but God provided 1,306. I was at a writer’s conference looking for a publisher for Navigating Culture (see the blog Book and Books). Getting time with agents and acquisition editors at these things is tough. But God set up the circumstances so I could have 30 minutes of quality time with one of the most sought-after agents. Getting in the door at many publishers is difficult. At the Evangelical Theological Society annual meeting, I was talking with an acquaintance from Kenya about Navigating Culture. Turns out she is friends with the publishing manager at one of the publishers we wanted to connect with. But God, this acquaintance knew the publishing manager, took an interest in Navigating Culture, and wrote an introductory email calling Navigating Culture a “fascinating idea.” But God.
My two words for 2026 are but God. My desire is a deep dependence so that everything I do depends on but God. But God stepping in and miraculously doing what only He can do.
So Donna’s word and my two words make a wonderful theme for 2026: Believe… but God.