A New Year's Prayer for 2009

Dear Father,

The clock is ticking and a New Year has arrived. I rejoice that I am alive and able to celebrate the turn of another calendar page. The world in 2008 has been in great upheaval and turmoil, yet in the midst of the madness, I have remained grounded in Your Word. I thank You that we do not have to let our hearts be troubled when the world in which we live becomes shaky and unstable. For I know and celebrate that we are building our lives on the unshakable Rock, Jesus Christ.

Thank You for Your ever-listening ear and Your patience with us. I will seek to praise You more in 2009 and ask for less. Thank You for increasing our faith as we face difficulties and challenges. I praise You for the strength to defeat the spirit of discouragement and aggravation in our lives, when they raise their ugly heads. And we are most grateful that You are the Prince of Peace. Forgive us when we fail You and make choices that are disappointing to You.

Holy Spirit, I ask that You will be alive and active in 2009 in our lives, like never before. Convict our hearts when we begin to stray from You. Alert our spirits when we are being called to tell someone about our Father’s love for them. Increase our boldness and willingness to share the Good News with a hurting world. I believe that You alone will be able to keep our hearts pure, not scarred and stained by sin, unforgiveness, strife, doubt and fear.

As 2008 has drawn to a close, let us be reminded of these words from Isaiah 43:18-19:

“Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

Lord, we will strive to forget the former things of the past year – the heartaches and heartbreaks, the sickness and disease, the pain and pressures. We are looking to You to begin a new work in each of us, beginning this very first day of 2009. If Your Word tells us that you can even make rivers in the desert, we are certain that our concerns are equally possible for You to cure and correct.

We love You, Father. We praise Your Holy, Almighty Name. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.