Christ is Risen - Now What?
A New Year's Prayer recycled for the Post-Resurrection Era
Are we a Good Friday People, perpetually in grief, mourning, anxiety and despair?
Or are we an Easter People, worshipping at the feet of the Risen Lord, in awe at the Surprise Factor, the Majesty, the Galaxy-Breaking Strength of God’s Immense Compassionate Love?
Are we ready to do as the Risen Lord has commanded us, to continually become the servants to those around us, to go “tell all nations” of his grace and magnitude, to ask What Would Jesus Do in each situation and “go and do likewise”?
For every morning that we awaken, overwhelmed with all the directions our day might take us, all the tasks needing doing, all the choices needing making, and money needing scrimping, and all the people who rely on us even for the smallest thing, we feel light-years away from the Easter Morning Joy we just heard of a few short weeks ago. Our minds might wander back in time, thinking about the “good old days” when food seemed plentiful and the family was intact, when parents were alive and well, when youth groups and congregations were vibrant, etc.. With church attendance dwindling, the power of the State growing, even pushing back at Christian witness, we might even start asking “What is the point?” It’s enough to make one want to stay under the covers, tiny, powerless, ashamed.
For such a time as this, prayer helps turn the mind Upward, and we feebly grasp on to the invisible umbilical cord that ties us in to the Love and Strength of Christ.
An internet search for something totally different can sometimes lead to surprising findings. Here I share a New Year’s Prayer written in the winter of 2024 in a newsletter from a church body I had barely heard of.
(If it feels weird praying about a New Year in May, maybe think of “a new season” as winter is now turning to spring.)
Prayers for 2025
Heavenly Father,
As we step into this new year, we ask for your guidance in embracing new beginnings. Help us let go of the disappointments of the past and open our hearts to the opportunities you have prepared in advance for us. Align our steps with your divine purpose, and let this year be a season of transformation and renewal. Thank you, Lord, for the fresh start you have given us.
Thank you for seeing us through another year and bringing us to this moment. We are grateful for your grace, provision, and protection that sustained us through the highs and lows of 2024. Help us to carry hearts filled with gratitude into the new year, acknowledging that every blessing comes from you. Thank you, Lord, for your goodness and mercy that never fail.
As this new year unfolds, we seek your divine guidance in every decision and step we take. Order our steps according to your Word and illuminate the path you have set before us. Help us to trust your wisdom above our understanding, knowing that your plans for us are good. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for being our shepherd and guide.
In this new year, draw us closer to you and ignite in us a deeper hunger for your Word and presence. Refine us, shape us, and teach us to walk in your ways, reflecting your light in all that we do. May our relationship with you grow stronger, and may our faith remain unshakable in every season. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to know you more intimately.
As we face the uncertainties and challenges of this new year, we ask for your strength and courage to sustain us. Help us to remain steadfast and confident, knowing that you are with us every step of the way. Give us the grace to overcome obstacles with faith and boldness, leaning on your promises. Thank you, Lord, for being our source of strength and encouragement.
We pray that you bless us with health in mind, body and spirit. Help us make choices that promote our health and well-being and reflect your desire for our lives.
Blessed Lord, we ask your loving care and protection and healing for those who are sick in body, mind, or spirit and who desire our prayers. Take from them all fears and help them put their trust in you, that they may feel your strong arms around them. Touch them with your renewing love, that they may know wholeness in you and glorify your name.
Almighty and everlasting God, comfort of the sad and strength to those who suffer. Let the prayers of your children who are in any trouble rise to you. To everyone in distress grant mercy, grant relief, grant refreshment.
We lift up our families to you as we enter this new year, asking for your peace, love, and unity to reign among us. Strengthen our bonds, mend any broken relationships, and help us to support one another in love and understanding. May our homes be a reflection of your grace and a sanctuary of joy and encouragement. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of family and the blessings you have in store for us.
Father God, the church is Jesus' beloved bride. We pray that your word would be clearly and faithfully proclaimed in your church and that, through it, we would be challenged, encouraged and changed. We pray that our leaders would be protected from temptation, complacency and idolatry. We ask that your church would be filled with joy as we gather together and we sing your praises. Fill our prayers with confidence in your mighty power and fill your people with your Holy Spirit. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
