A Prayer to See God Do New Things This Year - New Year Devotional - December 28

By Emma Danzey

Bible Reading:

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end." - Ecclesiastes 3:11

With a new year underway, dreaming continues, and goals are often set for the calendar year ahead. Whether you desire to see a newfound confidence, launch a company or ministry, be open to God's plan for expanding your family, achieve that degree, or more, the Lord is going before you in 2025. He tells us in Ecclesiastics 3:11 that He is the One who makes everything beautiful in its time. Maybe this is the beginning of your journey, or you are right in the middle of seeing the transformative work of Christ's power in your life. As we look ahead, we can remember that His timing is perfect, and we can entrust our dreams and hopes to Him.

Ecclesiastes also reminds us that God has placed eternity in our hearts, but no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. When we ponder the majesty and wonder of our Creator, He is the Author of all things good. We know that even if our greatest goals in life are achieved, they pale in comparison to the love of Jesus for us. He keeps our hearts in check. We can ask questions such as: how can God use this goal for eternal purposes? What is the Holy Spirit doing inside of me to refine me in this new opportunity of growth? How can I use my dreams to share the gospel with other people? When we are believers in Jesus, our eyes are fixed heavenward, and we will have kingdom vision.

Is there anything specific in your relationship with Christ that you want God to do a new thing in this year? Our most important relationship is with Him, and before we pursue an earthly goal, it is vital that we keep our hearts fixed on Him and His mission to go and make disciples.

Let's Pray:
Dear Lord,
Thank You for being the God who does new things. You are the only one who truly is creative. All things that we have come from You. Thank you for the minds, hearts, and bodies to accomplish goals set before us this year. We want to humbly admit first that we can chase the achievement before chasing after You. Help our hearts to align with Your will this year and give us boldness to walk with You into the unknowns of 2025.
Please help us to seek first your kingdom above all things. Do a new thing in our relationship with you. Grow us in sharing our faith with others, deepen our desire and understanding of Scripture, cultivate Christian community among our local churches, and allow whatever you have gifted us in to be used as a platform to glorify Your name alone.
We pray that we would surrender to Your timeline and release our own as we pursue and take steps towards our dreams and goals this year. Would you help us to be efficient, focused, and disciplined in the areas where we need to be for success. Help us to be humble, kind, and gracious in our relationships with those around us. We pray for new relationships out of those that have been broken. Bring healing among family members, friends, co-workers, and church communities. Do new things in relationships that are thriving. Help us to grow deeper together in You and love well. We pray for you to lead us to new people who do not know you, that we can share Your gospel with them and they would receive the gift of eternal life. We pray boldly for incredible transformations among our local church to see You work and move in fresh ways this year like never before. Help us to be strengthened and empowered by Your Word and Your Spirit.
We pray over professional and career goals, health goals, hobbies, and anything specific that we are eager for a change in this year. Do such a new thing that it blows our minds at how You have worked everything together. We pray for new dreams and goals that You would entrust to us specifically that align with Your heart and Your will for our lives. To Your name be the glory in 2025, Amen.

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/andreswd

Emma Danzey’s mission in life stems from Ephesians 3:20-21, to embrace the extraordinary. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. She is wife to Drew and mom to Graham. Emma serves alongside her husband in ministry, she focuses most of her time in the home, but loves to provide articles on the Bible, life questions, and Christian lifestyle. Her article on Interracial Marriage was the number 1 on Crosswalk in 2021. Most recently, Emma released Treasures for Tots, (Scripture memory songs) and multiple books and devotionals for young children. During her ministry career, Emma has released Wildflower: Blooming Through Singleness, two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, and ran the Refined Magazine. You can view her articles on her blog at emmadanzey.wordpress.com and check out her Instagram @Emmadanzey.

Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer, where you can sign up to receive it every evening in your inbox. We are also offering it in podcast form at https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-nightly-prayer/. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on God.

Listen to the Your Nightly Prayer Podcast