As we prepare for a New Year – and for many, it can’t come soon enough – it’s sort of the limbo period between the Christmas holiday and New Years. People take time from work to be with family and friends. Government all but shuts down during those seven days because of all the vacation workers take, and we’re just eager to start the new year.

There was a 400-year lull between the time Malachi preached and John the Baptist came on the scene.

While we might consider it a lull, ZondervanAcademic noted briefly what occurred during those “silent years”:

“In those four hundred years, the Pharisees and Sadducees, synagogues, Roman governors, and the family of Herod emerged onto the scene. None were present in the Old Testament.

And countless events not mentioned in the New Testament had a profound impact on the world of Jesus, such as the Maccabean revolt, the rise of the Essenes, the dominance of the Greek language, and the rise of the Roman Empire.”

Preparing for the new year could be as simple as making plans, not for resolutions, but actual plans to get things done in 2021. We have no idea what 2021 will bring, but we can also take a good long look at where we are spiritually.

• Are you further along in your walk this year than last year? This is always a tough one but deep down I think we know the answer. If we’re off what steps (baby steps or giant leaps) can we take to get back on?
• Have you been hiding God’s word in your heart? Even one verse a week can make an impact in your life.
• Have you made it a daily practice to pray for the leaders of this country as well as those in your church?

Without a doubt, God will move in the world in 2021. Are we ready? Don’t let the silent days go by wasted.