Posted Jan 01, 2021 by Michael L. Brown

If you could wish for anything in 2021, what would be at the top of your list? I don’t mean millennial-type wishes, such as, “I wish for peace on earth and no more conflicts.” Or, “I wish that no one will get sick in 2021.” Those are wonderful wishes, but they must await the Second Coming. But if you could wish for anything within the realm of earthly possibility, however farfetched, what would you wish for? Here’s my top 5 list (although, admittedly, I could easily come up with 5 or 50 other, top wishes, as you certainly could).

  1. May we have a definitive, indisputable outcome to the presidential election.

As things stand today, we are not just dealing with 10’s of millions of Americans who are disappointed with the election outcome, as happens every four years. We’re dealing with 10’s of millions of Americans who do not accept the election outcome.

At this point, barring President Trump confirming Joe Biden as our next president, without equivocation or qualification, I cannot see a large percentage of Trump supporters believing that Biden actually won.

The president would have to say something like this: “I have seen detailed, inside information, and I can absolutely guarantee you that Joe Biden won this election, fair and square. Please support him and pray for him. Believe me.”

Even then, many would still not believe.

Conversely, should Trump’s attorneys and Congressional supporters pull off the greatest electoral miracle in history and overturn the election results, there’s no way that the Biden voters would support that for a minute.

Something definitive must happen, so definitive that both sides would say, “We recognize this man as our next president, fair and square.”

But how? What would convince both sides of either massive electoral fraud or of a fairly contested election?

That’s why this is at the top of my wish list. Short of this happening, 2021 will continue to be a big mess.

  1. May the church regain its focus on Jesus and the Great Commission.

To a great extent, as followers of Jesus, many of us lost our way in 2020. Not only did the pandemic make it very difficult for us to gather together for prayer and worship and fellowship as we were in the habit of doing, but we got consumed with election fever.

Our social media pages were often dominated by politically-related posts, either praising Trump or attacking Trump and, more recently, either pushing for “Stop the Steal” or denying there was any steal at all. For others, our whole focus was on race-related issues, as if nothing else in the entire world mattered.

Had we spent half of this time and energy focusing on drawing close to the Lord in prayer, winning the lost, and loving our neighbor, I believe we would be in a much different place today, not to mention the state of those around us.

Can you even remember what it was like to have a simple, undistracted focus on loving Jesus? On enjoying His presence in worship, digging into His Word, and reaching out to non-believers, without a political thought dominating your mind throughout the day?

May we return to the simple foundations of our faith in 2021, based on which real blessing can come to our nation.

  1. May the pandemic be a thing of the past.

I can make this short and sweet. COVID, COVID go away and don’t come back another day. No more mass infections. No more reports of people dying by the thousands. No more masks. No more social distancing. No more need for controversial vaccines. No more pandemic!

  1. May America awaken to the horrible persecution of our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world.

For the most part, here in America, the terrible suffering of Christians in countries like Nigeria and China and India is out of sight and out of mind. On occasion, we will be jarred by a shocking headline reporting the latest atrocities. But even then, we rarely even stop and pray, let alone shed a tear, let alone ask ourselves, “What can we do?”

We read things like, “Three unidentified men shot and killed a pastor in the east Indian state of Jharkhand while he was returning home with his wife after baptizing new believers, according to a report.” Then we go back to checking sports scores, or following up on the latest, salacious news story, or giving ourselves to something else mundane.

But this pastor was part of our own family, murdered because he was a Christian. And what about his widowed wife and orphaned children? Yet reports indicate that the persecution of Christians in 2021 will only increase.

May 2021 be the year when the Body worldwide begins to beat with one, united heart.

  1. May 2021 be known as a year of truth.

I recently opined that, “If there is any one thing that strikes me looking back at this calamitous and difficult year it is that we are experiencing a deep crisis of trust.”

We are assured that everything is not as it appears to be, that behind every news report is a hidden agenda, that the most powerful people on the planet are secretly working together to destroy us, and that massive conspiratorial plots are manipulating our daily lives.

And, generally speaking, there is at least some reason for our suspicions and there are some facts mixed in with the lies. How, then, can we discern the difference between falsehood and truth? How can we avoid being led astray, whether by the media or the Internet, whether by politicians or preachers?

May error be exposed so dramatically in 2021 that blinders will fall off and there will be an awakening to reality. And may the tendencies within us that make us vulnerable to deception be revealed as well. May truth triumph in this new year.

Having said all this, I can immediately thing of a long list of items that could have made it to my top 5, which most likely are very different than your top 5 (or 50). And I didn’t even say a word about racial reconciliation or the like.

But I’ll take these 5 for starters.

Any one of them coming to pass in 2021 would be amazing. All 5 would be a dream come true.

Do we have Your ear, Lord?

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Beckrow63 posted a comment · Jan 04, 2021
To the brother or sister who has a passion for the”foreigner”. Yes, we are not to mistreat them but now more than ever we CANNOT afford to educate the massive amount of people that want to come here. There must be fair immigration laws . Our own citizens are out of work and homeless so it is more critical to care for them than take on people who are not citizens. I believe your focus is imbalanced if you think we should open the flood gates. If leftist leaders cared so much about the border when they went there why didn’t they offer up some of their salary to build shelters for the families? That would be caring for the foreigner. Our school has illegal children who haven’t spent hardly any time in school in their own country. We simply can’t take care of everyone seeking escape. To think we can is lunacy. Look at the homeless right here in your own town ! Let’s work on that !
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yeshuais4me posted a comment · Jan 03, 2021
Pray we understand: Deuteronomy 10:16-18 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) 16 Therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your heart; and don’t be stiff necked any longer! 17 For Adonai your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty and awesome God, who has no favorites and accepts no bribes. 18 He secures justice for the orphan and the widow; he loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing. Genesis 21:22-24 (CJB) (vi) 22 At that time Avimelekh and Pikhol the commander of his army spoke to Avraham. They said, “God is with you in everything you do. 23 Therefore, swear to me here by God that you will never deal falsely with me or with my son or grandson; but according to the kindness with which I have treated you, you will treat me and the land in which you have lived as a foreigner. 24 Avraham said, “I swear it.” Exodus 23:9-11 (CJB) 9 “You are not too oppress a foreigner, for you know how a foreigner feels, since you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:48-50 (CJB) 48 If a foreigner staying with you wants to observe Adonai’s Pesach, all his males must be circumcised. Then he may take part and observe it; he will be like a citizen of the land. But no uncircumcised person is to eat it. 49 The same teaching is to apply equally to the citizen and to the foreigner living among you.” Leviticus 19:34 Rather, treat the foreigner staying with you like the native-born among you — you are to love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt; I am Adonai your God. Numbers 15:15-17 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) 15 For this community there will be the same law for you as for the foreigner living with you; this is a permanent regulation through all your generations; the foreigner is to be treated the same way before Adonai as yourselves. 16 The same Torah and standard of judgment will apply to both you and the foreigner living with you.’” (vi) 17 Adonai said to Moshe, Deuteronomy 1:16 And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you. Deuteronomy 5:14 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Deuteronomy 10:17-19 (NIV) 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. 19 And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. There are many times we are shown that God loves the foreigner as much as he love His chosen where both are willing to follow Torah, God’s directions. The Messiah tells us that Torah will exist beyond heaven and earth twice: Matthew 5:18 - For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Luke 16:17 -It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.
Diane E Walker posted a comment · Jan 01, 2021
My wish for 2021 is revival would come and all the churches would be on one accord, teaching and preaching the same thing. That peoples of all races would come together and help and support each other. That the gospel message would spread and people would get saved.
czarpaul posted a comment · Jan 01, 2021
1. May God bring about his judgement on America quickly and swiftly without delay. 2. May whatever is left of the US form nations and dedicate those nations to God and rely on his to survive. 3. May the rapture take us home (and NO I am NOT afraid of the anti Christ most of us pretribbers are not you totally misunderstand us). 4. May the final 7 years begin.