Year of Jubilee

"Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan."
Leviticus 25:10

I have been thinking about the new year. I believe in the significance of years. Each one is unique. Each year is a new opportunity for us to grow in our relationship with God. Each year is a new year of blessing from heaven. Each new year brings hope that something greater than ever before will take place. God has special plans in mind for us in the upcoming year.
    The year of jubilee was set in the Levitical law. Once every fifty years, the people were to celebrate. The very first word in the scripture above is very important. It says that the people must consecrate the year. This means it was to be set apart. There would be a solemn dedication of that year for the purposes of God. They were not to plant crops or reap the fields. This was a year completely set apart for the purposes of God among his people. Had the people not taken the time to consecrate the year, it would not have happened. In fact, there were forty nine years of preparation for the great event. It was special, it was ordained by God himself. It was a year in which blessings were to flow to the people.
    It was a year of liberty. This promise of liberty was contingent on something the people must do. They were to proclaim liberty. You see, they weren't only to expect liberty to come, they were to speak it before it happened! God was always faithful to those who participated in the year of jubilee.
    The year of jubilee was a time for families. The people were to return to their families and clans. This included not only their immediate families, but the larger extended family as well. They all gathered at the original homesteads and celebrated the year of jubilee together. What an amazing blessing from God.
    Allow me to pronounce a blessing over you today: May this new year be your year of jubilee. May your receive all the blessings that God has ordained for you and your family. May it be a year that is so significant, it will be the most memorable of your life. May the joy of God's salvation return to you. May you grow closer to Jesus than ever before. May the liberty of God flow into your life. may the spiritual shackles that hold you be broken by the power of the Holy Spirit. May you be set free to worship God with all your being. May this year be your year of jubilee, an unparalleled celebration of the goodness of God.
    Let us rejoice and be glad, declaring that this is the year of jubilee!