Every new year arrives with a flood of predictions: Inflation will intensify, the markets will contract, this politician will rise to power, and that institution will collapse.
Whether we want it or not, a bevy of talking heads and self-proclaimed experts will take to television screens and social media platforms to tell us precisely what to expect from the economy to geopolitics to the fate of democracy itself. It's a new year's tradition as reliable as the ball drop.
We indulge these fear-laden predictions routinely because they promise control in an uncertain world. If we can just see what's coming, perhaps we can steady ourselves against it.
Scripture, however, offers a quieter but sturdier alternative: Confident faith, not foresight.
Here are five things you can bank on.
1. God will still be sovereign.
The world will spend 2026 reacting to things that happen. God assuredly will not.
No election result, court ruling, war, or cultural shift will catch Him off guard or force a course correction. God does not scramble to respond to history as it unfolds. He stands over it. While commentators rush to explain what just happened and what it means, God remains firmly in control, accomplishing His purposes without panic or improvisation.
2. Truth will not change.
The coming year will bring no shortage of debates over what is "true," "real," or "settled." There will be no shortage of human peacocks, strutting around proclaiming themselves gods of their universes. But even though our culture will continue its stubborn refusal to submit to it, Truth itself remains as it has always been - unchanged and unchangeable.
Christians understand that confusion in society does not mean confusion in reality. Truth is not determined by consensus, nor does it evolve with cultural comfort. It remains fixed, even when it is inconvenient, unpopular, or ignored.
3. Institutions will continue to disappoint.
Political systems, media organizations, courts, churches, leaders … they will all fail in familiar and frustrating ways in 2026. This should not surprise believers.
The Bible has always warned against placing ultimate trust in human institutions. They are made of fallen people and governed by competing interests. When they disappoint, it does not signal that the world is unraveling. It merely confirms what Scripture has already told us about human nature.
4. Faithfulness will matter more than influence.
The temptation to measure success by power, reach, or relevance will remain strong. But God has never evaluated His people by their ability to dominate culture.
Obedience, faithfulness, and quiet trust have always mattered more than visibility or influence. History shows that the church often does its clearest work when it is not "in control," not "celebrated," and not "setting the agenda."
5. The Gospel will still be sufficient for sinners, sufferers, and skeptics alike.
People will still sin in 2026. People will still suffer. People will still search for meaning, identity, and hope in all the wrong places.
And the Gospel will still be enough.
It will remain sufficient to forgive sin, sustain the weary, and confront doubt, not because the problems are small, but because God's grace is anything but.
The future does not belong to those who predict it most confidently, nor to those who fear it most loudly.
It belongs to an unchanging God who already stands where the future meets us and invites us, as ever, to wisely put our trust in Him alone.
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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Not the Bee or any of its affiliates.
