The past twelve months have been tough on all of us—on me, on you, and on our families. I don’t suppose any person on earth has been untouched by COVID-19 or its repercussions. Hundreds of thousands have died, millions battled the virus, and billions suffered emotionally and economically. If you own a small business, work at a restaurant, serve as a health care provider, play music, or teach in a local school, you have your own stories of stress and strain. How my heart has hurt for the disabled and for those in nursing homes, for single parents, and for those who’ve lost their jobs!

Nor has it been easy for pastors, church staffs, and Christian leaders. Speaking personally, there were moments in 2020 when I struggled to know what to do. I think you know my heart when I tell you I’m a pretty resilient person, yet I had some rough days navigating the times, especially as the pastor of a church. The last few months have challenged almost every Christian church, school, and ministry around the world.

It’s not just the pandemic, of course. What a divisive political year we’ve had in America and all over the globe! People are angry, and many of them are increasingly hostile to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Society seems out of control. Add that to all our typical problems—natural disasters, illnesses, financial shortfalls, and traffic mishaps—and we have a perfect storm. If you’ve never felt overwhelmed at times, you’re a rare individual.

But the rarest of individuals is never overwhelmed. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He is not shaken. His work is unstoppable, His wisdom is unsearchable, and He knows each step we take. When we arise, He is there. When we retire, He’s alert and awake through the night. He knows what 2021 holds, and He holds us in His hands.

That’s what kept me going last year, and that’s what keeps me going now.

Let me tell you something. Back in the fall of 2019, we planned a three-month campaign for the spring 2020 issues of this magazine. We settled on the topic: “Facing Uncertain Times.” The Lord surely led us to that because none of us at Turning Point could have imagined what the year would bring.

This year, our spring theme is “Making Sense of It All: Seeing the World With a Biblical Perspective.” During the next three months, I want to look at the world through the lens of Scripture as we learn to overcome our fears, stay strong, and stay the course. There are areas of life that can blur our vision if we don’t look at life through God’s optics.

In this issue of Turning Points, and in the March and April issues, I’ve prepared a series of Bible studies to help us face the unfolding year. Instead of our usual stand-alone articles, the next three issues will deal with three topics by giving you an ongoing series of Bible studies to help you develop a biblical perspective on three levels.

This month we’ll go through the Bible and learn how to rise above our circumstances. You’ll find articles in this magazine about putting life’s circumstances into focus, seeing them clearly, and making sense of them. The Bible is full of information about this, and I can’t wait to show it to you.

Next month’s issue will focus on overcoming our fears. And in April, we’ll wrap up our Making Sense of It All campaign by learning what the Bible says about staying strong and staying the course. All this will reinforce my three-month-long radio series of messages, Making Sense of It All.

If we view this world through our own eyes, we’ll be riddled with fear and doubt. If we see things as our Lord does, we’ll live with power, security, purpose, and hope.

We have an advantage shared by no one else. We have our Lord and His infallible Word, which gives us a divine lens for seeing life. We can’t make sense of life without a biblical perspective; but when we think biblically, life makes perfect sense because of our perfect Savior.

I hope you’ll invite a friend to join us as we turn to our Lord, who alone can make sense of it all and turn it all for good.