New Year’s Prayer

Father,

Thank you for another year! 365 days of new mercies, grace, loving-kindness, patience, gentleness, growth, correction, and time with you. Thank you for the opportunity to know you and worship you.

Thank you for my family and friends. They shower me with love, fiercely defend me, and they keep me grounded.

Thank you for the challenges. I’m still here. Your strength is my shield. The trials allowed me to nestle close to you for shelter.

Help me to learn from my mistakes in the past year but not to be ensnared by them.

Father,

Thank you for another year! 365 days of new mercies, grace, loving-kindness, patience, gentleness, growth, correction, and time with you. Thank you for the opportunity to know you and worship you.

Thank you for my family and friends. They shower me with love, fiercely defend me, and they keep me grounded.

Thank you for the challenges. I’m still here. Your strength is my shield. The trials allowed me to nestle close to you for shelter.

Help me to learn from my mistakes in the past year but not to be ensnared by them.

Give me the capacity to be present, so I don’t miss a moment that you’ve granted me.

Remind me of my priorities, and help me to live by them, or change them if they don’t mirror yours.

Grow my contentment quotient. Please shrink the greedy streak in me. I have enough.

Please graciously redeem the time I have squandered with bitterness, envy, grudges, and anger. You are a resurrector of the dead;
call the broken places in my soul back to life.

Increase my capacity to forgive others, and to forgive myself.

Please guard my heart from the prideful doctrine of ‘I don’t need anyone else.’ I do.

Thank you so much for your son, Jesus. I long to love and live by the example he has set. I want to keep him in focus every day.

Grant me your Holy Spirit’s guidance so that I seize opportunities to love with abandon, give generously, defend your name with truth and compassion, and make you proud.

Give me a double-portion of your joy. I’ve tasted it and it’s intoxicating.

Help me to turn off the TV and the computer so I am able to tune in to life.

In a conflict with my spouse, my friend, my coworker – change me first. (I don’t really want this, but I could use the character-building.)

Revive my ability to play, to wonder, and to listen to the keen advice of my elders.

Praise your name. May your kingdom progress, and may the glory be yours alone in this New Year.

I can do all things through you.  I can do anything because of you.