God's Glorious Presence in the New Year

What do we hope to happen in the new year for the Dong people of China? What happens when God chooses a people as his own, establishes himself among them, and leads them unto salvation? Here is a little new year history:

Exodus 40:1,34

The LORD now said to Moses, "Set up the Tabernacle on the first day of the new year." ... Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glorious presence of the LORD filled it.

In the old covenant, God lived among the Israelites by choosing for himself the Tabernacle as the holy place of his presence. Jesus has written, with his blood, the terms of the new covenant, though, and that is a covenant with all the peoples of the earth, including the Dong people of China.

Now, the Lord is establishing himself among the Dong people. There will be no Tabernacle, but we can pray that God would continue to choose Dong people which he will fill with his glorious presence. Nothing better could happen in the new year.

Lord Jesus, we thank you for the gift of your glorious presence which fills our hearts to the point of overflowing. We can think of no better New Year gift to pray for the Dong people. Just as you chose Abram and his descendents, who without you were of no significance among the great nations of the world, we ask you to choose the Dong people for your special blessing. We ask you to bless them with a gift of yourself, your presence, your glory right in the midst of them.