Prayers Heading Into 2015

It’s hard to believe that 2014 is about to draw to a close. As we reflect on the year that was, while we will hopefully focus mostly on the fond memories we made, it’s natural for us to pay additional attention to our regrets, or the bad times we experienced over the last 12 months.

The end of a year is a great time for reflection and prayer. We can see how far we have come over the course of the calendar year, and set personal goals for ourselves heading into the next one.

Here is an example of the kind of prayer one might say heading into the New Year that encapsulates the kind of emotion that this particular holiday can evoke:

God, thank you for a new year. May everyone in our family be willing to begin anew with a clean slate. We know that you are always ready to forgive us. Help us to be willing to forgive ourselves and to forgive one another.

As we begin a new year, remind us of our truest values and our deepest desires. Help us to live in the goodness that comes from doing what you want us to do. Help us to put aside anxiety about the future and the past, so that we might live in peace with you now, one day at a time.

The ideas of forgiveness are particularly appropriate for heading into the New Year. With so many people using the excuse of flipping the calendar to start on a clean slate, it is a great time to forgive those who have wronged us.

Obviously, this is not always easy. There are some trespasses that cut us deeply, and it requires a great deal of strength to be able to move on and forgive those who we feel wronged us. But it is God’s will that we forgive, and doing so can offer the kind of rejuvenation you need as you head into another year.

Let me know how I can pray for you as we head into 2015. I hope that you have a blessed end to 2014, and a rejuvenating start to the coming year.
May you be successful in all your goals!

Happy New Year, Friends!