2024 The Year of Jubilation

December 25, 2023

Dressing up for our COBS Christmas celebration at the Eden Restaurant in town over a week ago, I felt I needed to wear my pearl necklace. Pearls are not my thing. I bought this string of pearls for my daughter’s wedding to match with the one I got for her. So, the last time I wore it was more than 7 years ago.

Something about Pearls

This year, I was delighted that my mentor, Pastor Beow Chin (retired) was able to join us for dinner; something impossible all these years as she is the caregiver to her aged parents. Seated across me, strangely, we started talking about my pearl necklace. She asked why I wore it that night. I replied that I am puzzled too… maybe it is a reminder of the parable of the precious pearl?

Overhearing our conversation, Florence whipped out the gift she has prepared for me. After she had finished wrapping it, she felt she needed to add some pearls to it!

Do you see the pearls?

At Pastor’s request, I took my necklace off and passed it to her. She proceeded to ask everyone to guess how many pearls are there. Some guessed 28, some 35 and so on…. I had no clue. Pastor counted it… all had it wrong.

We were surprised that there were so many.

Fifty. It represents JUBILEE, Pastor and I nodded in agreement.

The 50th year in the bible is the Year of Jubilee. After 7 cycles of the 7th year of rest for the land, the 50th year is the Year of Jubilee, a year of liberation where all debts are cancelled and slaves set free, as far as I recall. I thought of the late Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee a few years ago too, a joyous and historic moment worthy of a grand celebration.

Mindful that V had said that 2024 to 2026 are “The Mother of All Wars” years, I pondered:

“Is 2024 going to be a Year of Jubilee. Of celebration? Of captives being set free? End of the Ukraine and Israel/Hamas wars, and prisoners of war and hostages set free? There is some hope perhaps...”

The Aftermath after Christmas

It was a really crazy week running up to Christmas. My husband caught Covid after I had recovered from it and someone in almost every household I know caught it too, as Covid raged in our country again.

I prayed for the shield of protection over nearly 40 of my family members and friends coming to celebrate Christmas at my home. Double, triple and quadruple shield, Lord. Day and night I prayed over each and everyone. I decided to move my husband’s niece and her family visiting from New Zealand out from my home to a hotel as they came down with some infectious rashes and viruses after their holiday in Thailand. My helper and I furiously disinfected my whole house with a week to go.

Thank God for answering our prayers. The party and celebration went so well with everyone happy and well. Come to think about it, I am so very thankful to discover that I still have in me the energy and fire to be praying fervently through it all, dog-tired and stressed out as I was. ☺

Now, in the aftermath, as I unwind, I mulled over if 2024 is indeed the Year of Jubilee. Honestly, I was not sure about it yet, feeling that something is missing. I did a quick calculation - this is maybe my 40th year after being born again, not the 50th.

Jubilee to Jubilation!

Thinking about it as my husband drove us home after a nice soak in the jacuzzi at the club for my tired limbs, suddenly the word “Jubilee” turned into “Jubilation”.

Resisting the temptation to lie down and take a rest, I sent a text to Florence about this discovery and she replied: “Amen great triumph, victory.”

I headed to my computer and looked up the definition of the word “Jubilation”:

Oxford Dictionary

A feeling of great happiness and triumph.

Collins

A feeling of great happiness and pleasure, because of a success.

The two words that caught my attention were Triumph and Success.

Hallelujah! I was elated. This is music to my ears as we have just entered into the three-year period of the “Mother of All Wars” that V has warned us since 2022.

I thought of the so many battles won in the past two months alone. With more and tougher challenges coming in the years to come, I felt this is the Word for 2024!

2024 is a Year of Jubilation!

Triumph, Success and Victory

I hear the Holy Spirit say:

“You will face wars within and without, you will fight wars, you will be praying warfare prayers and you will go out in great joy and pleasure as this is the Year of Jubilation!”

Hallelujah! We will triumph over our enemies. God will grant us success.

After I finished writing, I saw that Florence had sent me a text message with a note:

“My note on the 20th Dec, He is for us and not against us, our victory is for sure and yes and amen.”