January 1, 2024
There’s something special about the beginning of a new year. Even though January 1st follows December 31st the same as any day follows the previous one, to many of us, entering a new year brings with it the feeling of a new beginning, a fresh start. Last year is now behind us, and there are new horizons ahead.
At the beginning of any new endeavor, it’s wise to ask God for His direction, guidance, and blessing. This is equally true as we face the adventures that the next year will bring. There will no doubt be challenges, victories, wins, and losses. And we will need God’s presence, help, and comfort through it all.
In pondering about the year ahead, I compiled the following prayer list and Bible verses for the New Year, which I hope will inspire you as it has me.
To know God and His will.
“I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God” (Ephesians 1:16–17).
“We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9).
To read and pattern our lives according to God’s Word.
“Blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice” (Luke 11:28).
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock” (Matthew 7:24).
To bear fruit.
“The way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better” (Colossians 1:10).
“You give glory to my Father when you produce a lot of fruit and therefore show that you are my disciples” (John 15:8).
For patience, strength, and joy.
“We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy” (Colossians 1:11).
To be generous.
“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38).
For our witness to others.
“Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes” (2 Thessalonians 3:1).
“Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone” (Colossians 4:6).
For God’s protection.
“The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you” (2 Thessalonians 3:3).
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up” (Isaiah 41:10).
For those who are mourning.
Many grieve the death of someone they were close to. Those whose lives are touched by tragedy and are filled with grief, who face the loneliness of bereavement, are in need of prayer.
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:4).
For our families and loved ones.
Asking God to protect our loved ones and help them make wise choices is a way to show them love and better their lives. Even if there is conflict within the family, we can pray for the healing of misunderstandings and hurt.
“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them” (1 Timothy 2:1).
For those who don’t know Jesus.
That they will “open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light. … Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people” (Acts 26:18).
“God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).
I pray that your year ahead will be filled with God’s love, joy, and peace, and that His blessings will be abundantly poured upon you and your loved ones in this new year.—Peter Amsterdam
God of all time,
help us enter the New Year quietly,
thoughtful of who we are to ourselves and to others,
mindful that our steps make an impact
and our words carry power.
May we walk gently.
May we speak only after we have listened well.
Creator of all life,
help us enter the New Year reverently,
aware that you have endowed
every creature and plant, every person and habitat
with beauty and purpose.
May we regard the world with tenderness.
May we honor rather than destroy.
Lover of all souls,
help us enter the New Year joyfully,
willing to laugh and dance and dream,
remembering our many gifts with thanks
and looking forward to blessings yet to come.
May we welcome your lavish love …
May the grace and peace of Christ bless us now and in the days ahead.—Vinita Hampton Wright
In my turn-of-the-year cleanup, I found an old yearbook. I smiled as I read down the very long list of my resolutions for that year. I guess I had high expectations of myself!
This past year, I decided to make only three resolutions: Be more loving and encouraging, finish a major writing project I was working on and start a new one, and keep a prayer list.
To be loving and to finish projects are ongoing goals to strive for, but the decision to keep a prayer list has been a milestone. The first day I wrote all the things that were weighing on my heart. The next morning, I realized I had forgotten to include several of my relatives, and the following day, I remembered some other situations that needed prayer.
Following through with this resolution hasn’t turned out to be as difficult as I anticipated. As soon as I wake up, I pick up my list and pray a few words for each point. I write new ones that come to mind and cross out the ones that have been answered. It takes less than ten minutes.
It reminds me of a poster I gave to a friend with the words “Prayer is not the least we can do, but the most.” She tacked it to the clipboard just outside her office. Every time I visit her, there it is, speaking to me.
I have always been an active person, and prayer has never been one of my strong points, but as time passes, I realize more than ever how powerful it is. When we pray, rather than putting unrealistic expectations on ourselves, we’re drawing from the greatest power there is, one that can transform lives, solve problems, and help us see things in a new light.—Rosane Pereira
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray as we are moments away from the new year. No matter what your plans are for me in the next 365 days, I ask that you deliver me from any temptation or sin that may still be lurking in my life. Search me and show me in which areas I lack, so that I may become more like you this year. Help me to forgive others who have wronged me in this past year. Let me forgive them as you have forgiven me. So they may know they too can have second chances, like the one you have given me. Amen.
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Jesus, remind me of your strength and power as I enter the new year. This past year I found myself in want of food or at times worried about finances and how I would pay the bills for the week or month. Please help me to recall all the ways you have come through in my past and give me comfort in the fact that we experience many seasons. Not every season ends in a harvest, but you provide for us during times of drought, famine, and need. I ask that you give me and my family our daily bread. And help to open my eyes to others who are in need of help. Allow me to be the hands and feet of Jesus this year and to aid the least of these. So that they may see you and glorify you, our Father in heaven. Amen.
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Lord, I want to dedicate this next year to you. I know it hasn’t begun yet, but I want it to have a wonderful start. Let your will be done, not mine. I would be lying if I said I haven’t already paved some plans for myself this next year. But if they do not align with your will, I ask that you do not allow them to happen. You know what is best for me. You know me far better than I know even myself. I ask that this be your year. I surrender myself as an empty vessel. Fill me with your joy and love, so that I may pour it out onto others. Amen.—Hope Bolinger1
Father, I abandon myself into your hands.
Do with me whatever you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you.
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures.
Into your hands I commend my spirit.
I offer it to you with all the love that is in my heart.
For I love you, Lord, and so want to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands,
without reserve and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father. Amen.—Charles de Foucauld, 1858–1916
Published on Anchor January 2024. Read by Jon Marc. Music by John Listen.
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