Today I am excited to announce a goal in the Lord’s work that is tremendously exciting and motivating to me.
I have always been fond of years that begin on a Sunday. In 2017, New Year’s Day was on Sunday, and I was in Meridian, Mississippi. All that day, a gentle rain fell. After worship at Seventh Street that morning and Sunday dinner with Lewis & Carol Robbins at Hunan Chinese Restaurant, I came back to my loft on Front Street, got my blue jeans on, and settled in to do some writing. By nightfall, I had written the first page in Obeying the Gospel, the fifth book in the WordPoints series. I shall never forget that delightfully rainy Sunday in Meridian . . . on New Year’s Day.
But today, I want to share with you a goal that will culminate, if the Lord wills, on another New Year’s Day: the one that will fall on Sunday, January 1, 2040. If the Lord tarries, that will be fifteen years from now. If He spares my life until then (and preserves my ability to think and write), I believe I can finish the body of work that I embarked on way back in 1999 when I began Diligently Seeking God. For a man nearly seventy-five years old and in poor health, setting a fifteen-year goal may seem absurd, but I am willing to commit to it and entrust myself to God’s will.
When stricken with an illness that would have killed him, Hezekiah prayed for mercy and the Lord added fifteen years to his life (2 Kings 20:1-6). I am not Hezekiah, and having frittered away many of the years already given to me, I certainly don’t deserve another fifteen. But if the Lord were to grant me those years, I believe that finishing the body of work that is now in progress would be a worthy use of that time. So, I have been praying that the Lord, in His mercy, will keep me going and provide the clarity of thought needed to complete this work.
Of course, our Father may not grant this prayer. He may have other plans (James 4:13-16). If He does, His plan will certainly be better than mine, and I’ll be the first to thank Him for the benevolence of His wisdom. Anytime He says, “Gary, what you’ve already done is sufficient; come on home,” He certainly won’t get any argument from me. However, until it becomes clear that it is not the Lord’s will for me to finish this work, I will keep praying to survive until January 1, 2040. I’ll work as hard as I can — by the strength which He supplies (1 Peter 4:11) — squeezing as much productivity as I can from each of the unique and valuable hours that He blesses me with.
As for the specific goals, those have been listed at the bottom of my reports for quite a while. I have had to add a year to the target dates for Walking in Christ and Going Home, but other than that, the goals remain the same. The only thing new is that a specific target has been set for the completion of the entire work: January 1, 2040. If we make it to that date, with me doing the writing, you helping with the financial support, and both of us praying, I believe I’ll have a happy 90th birthday a few weeks later on January 31. (And after that, what next? Well, last summer Ward Hogland was able to preach on his 100th birthday, so perhaps I too can just keep on working!)
You and I have been co-laborers for a long time. Some of you have been helping me for so long, I don’t even remember when you began doing so. But whether long or short, your support has made it possible for me to be involved with something in the Lord’s work that has brought me great joy. Thank you so very much for all you have done!
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com
WRITING GOALS
Pray with me that I will be given the ability to finish these works by January 1, 2040
- Walking in Christ — Book 6 in the WordPoints Daybook Series. Target: November 2026.
- Going Home — Book 7 in the WordPoints Daybook Series. Target: November 2029.
- Seeking God in the Psalms — a 52-lesson study — theme for each week, studies for Monday-Friday.
- Ecclesiastes — a full-scale commentary on the text of Ecclesiastes.
- Encountering Christ — what the Scriptures teach about Jesus Christ . . . and why we should believe it.
