Do you ever just want to start over? It’s a good thing that the God of Heaven is a God of fresh starts and new beginnings. Each month we get to look forward to a new start. The best way to seek God in weeks ahead is with a prayer for the new month. In fact, we would like to offer 12 simple prayers for the new month!
He made a world that starts anew every day with the sunrise. Every week has a first day to it. There’s a first of every month and a New Year’s Day to celebrate the birth of every year. God must have known we’d need fresh starts…as often as every 24 hours! He knew we’d need them even more often than that. So He provided us with ample opportunities for new beginnings.
With each new day, we have a reminder that we can try again, get another chance, make a clean start. And with each new month, we can recommit ourselves to God anew with a prayer for a fresh start.
If you’ve made bad choices, thought wrong thoughts, done stupid things, or said careless words, you can pray for a fresh start every new month. If you’ve missed some divine appointments and have regrets about that, or just want to live more fully for Him, you can renew your heart with every new month. Here are four prayers for a fresh start every new month.
Lord God, Creator of all things. Thank You for this new month that You have given me…a new month in which to start fresh. Thank You, that You have the ability – and the desire – to wipe my slate clean. Thank You that forgiveness is there for the asking and You are the God of restoration and new beginnings. Your Word says, “Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 CEV). That doesn’t just mean I become “new” when I initially come to Christ and surrender my life to Him. It means I can have a new beginning every day – every time that I see the need to start over. Every time I want to make it right with You again.
I praise You for the privilege to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that [I] may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). I thank You for the promise in Scripture that if I ask anything according to Your will, You hear me. And if I know You hear me in whatever I ask, I know I have what I have requested of You (1 John 5:14-15). Lord, I ask, in Your name, that You forgive me for the times I’ve crowded You off the throne of my life and sought to be the ruler of my decisions and will. Forgive me for my desire to control, for my lack of faith that You are sovereign over every event under heaven, and for my sin that has grieved Your heart.
Thank You for seeing that I am human, I still sin. Even though I love You and set out to do what’s right, I still mess things up at times. That is why I need a Savior. That is why I need You, my Savior. I praise You that a new start awaits me every time I ask You for it. As David prayed in Psalm 51 (after a disastrous series of events): “God, make a fresh start in me. Shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life… Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails” (verses 10-12, The Message).
Thank You, Lord, that just as You gave King David a fresh start after messing up big time (committing adultery and then murdering one of His “mighty men” to cover up his sin), You can show mercy to me as well, no matter where I’ve been and what I’ve done.
“Search me, God, and know my heart; Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalm 139:23-24 NASB). Lord, as this is a new month, make everything about me new. Everything. My mind– to think pure thoughts. My body – to live purely from day to day. My mouth – to speak words that heal, not wound. My heart – to seek after a path that is straight and right.
Thank You, that in Your mercy, and in Your righteousness, You have “removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12 NLT). Hurl my sins further than the California Coast is to the Jersey shore. From years past into a million years hence. I praise You that “As far as sunrise is from sunset, [You have] separated us from our sins” (MSG). With regrets behind me, put me on a new road, toward a new direction, into a brand new month, with a fresh new start.
God, I love how you teach us about time and seasons through all of the different seasons we experience here on earth. You have this knack for making things new and beautiful. Thank you for all of the reminders you give us in this spring season. You have set eternity in our hearts. You lead me into transformation, growing me into who you have created me to be, even before the foundations of the earth. I will place my hope in you, for your Word is true. You have promised to complete what you have started in me, Lord! I cannot even imagine all the wonderful things you have in store for me! I trust you, Father. (by Heather Bar, Prayers for New Life and Beginnings)
Father, thank You for the opportunity to have a new start. Too many times, I have strayed from my relationship with You. In times of distress and worry, I chose to try and handle things on my own. Moments of frustration, anger, and sadness have flooded my body. In those conflicting times, I chose to stay away from You. I neglected to seek Your help. Father, forgive me. You are the way, the truth, and the light. I ask You once again to guide me on the path to a new start in life. Please cover me with Your love, protection, and mercy. Please allow me to show Your love to others as I begin a new day. Thank You, Father, for Your love and forgiveness. Thank You for searching and finding me again. (Deuteronomy 31:8) Thank You for never leaving me alone. In Your Name, Amen. (by Melissa Henderson, Prayer for New Beginnings)
Father, draw me close to Your heart. I open up my heart to You, and I invite You to search my heart and renew my spirit. Bring me into alignment with your Spirit. Thank you for the work you do in me. Teach me your ways, Father. Reveal to me any area that I am not in agreement with your Word. I pray for a deep revelation and understanding of your truth. I trust you, Father, and I love that I can open my heart up to you. I know that your love is an unconditional, everlasting love. (by Heather Bar, Prayers for New Life and Beginnings)
Lord God, You not only know every offense I’ve ever committed, You see all that lies in my future as well. Help me to see every divine appointment that comes my way in this new month. Open the doors in front of me to walk into Your will. Open my eyes to recognize each opportunity to share Your love and the truth of Your Word with someone who needs it. Each day of this new month, chart me a clear path to be obedient to You and to be used for Your kingdom purposes, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant the work may be. Give me a servant’s mindset to see every task in front of me as an opportunity to glorify You so that “whatever [I] do, in word or deed, [I] do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:17 NASB).
Abba, Father, you are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. You are my Creator and my Counselor, guiding me daily to make wise decisions. You are my Comforter in sorrow, pain, or distress. I praise you for drawing near to me when I draw near to you. You are El Roi, the God who sees me, and you are Eternal, Lord. You are my heavenly Father, and the father of the fatherless. How great are you and your faithfulness, God, day in and day out.
praise you because you are trustworthy and true. You are my Teacher, and your understanding and wisdom is beyond finite minds; you promise wisdom to me when I ask. You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Lord, I love that you delight in me and that you rejoice over me with singing. You know the number of hairs on my head, and you are always thinking of me.
You are preparing a place for me so that one day I will live with you forever. Maybe then—and only then—will I be able to praise you adequately in a way not possible here on earth—the way you truly deserve.
All my love, all my praise to you. Lord, oh, Lord. How excellent is your name in which I pray! Amen (by Rebecca Barlow Jordan, A Prayer to Praise God)
Lord, help me to take seriously Your command to be perfect as You are perfect (Matthew 5:48). I know that apart from You, I can do nothing (John 15:5) and I have nothing within me (except Your Holy Spirit) to attain holiness. Help me to do “all things without complaining or arguments; so that [I] will prove [myself] to be blameless and innocent, [a child] of God, above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom [I] appear as [a] light in the world” (Philippians 2:14-15 NASB). Don’t let me be conformed to this world, but may I be “transformed by the renewing of [my] mind, so that [I] may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Jesus, shine through me so others see Your holiness in my heart and actions.
(Psalm 33:18-22) Lord, I’m on my knees again. Lord, I need You. A new year has dawned, and I want to be filled with the hope only You can provide. Last year was consumed with stress, worry, and fear. Even as I went to You in daily prayer, my thoughts would often lead to begging You to fix everything in the way I wanted. I prayed for the health and happiness of family, friends, and strangers. I know You are in control of the world and I need only to trust in You. In the past, I have considered the first day of the year to be a time for renewal, only to fall short of my goals within hours. Father, today, I am asking for Your help. I ask for You to help me put the past behind me and to move forward seeking to share Your love with others. I pray that in these coming days there will be new beginnings for everyone. I pray we all will seek a closer walk with You. In Your Holy Name, Amen. (by Melissa Henderson, Prayer for New Beginnings)
Lord, in this new month may I not be overly focused on myself, but ever aware of those around me who need to see and experience Your love. Heavenly Father, help me to understand that others will not come to know You because of my intellectual superiority or my theological astuteness. Your Word says they will know You by the love expressed by Your followers. Remind me daily of Your command to love others as You have loved me. By this, all will know that I am Your disciple if I have a love for one another (John 13:34-35 NKJV).
Help me to sow kindness, extend grace, show love, and live humbly as my Lord Jesus did. Impress upon my heart that it is more important to be loving to others than to win an argument, more important to be kind than to be right. Help me to see others through Your loving eyes, love them with Your tender heart, and serve them with the hands and feet You have given me. Don’t let me waste this new month by continuing old patterns of the past. Instead, launch me forward in this new month into new growth, new opportunities, and new confidence to show Jesus to others in everything I say and do. In Jesus’ powerful Name, Amen.
Lord, At the start of each day, help us to recognize you above all else. Enlighten the eyes of our heart that we might see you and notice how you're at work through our lives. Give us wisdom to make the best choices, fill us with a desire to seek after you more than anything else in this world. Let your Spirit and power breathe in us, through us, again, fresh and new. Thank you that you are greater than anything we may face in our day. Thank you that your presence goes with us, and that your joy is never dependent on our circumstances, but it is our true and lasting strength, no matter what we're up against. We ask that your peace lead us, that it would guard our hearts and minds in you. We ask for your grace to cover our lives this day. We love you Lord...we need you. (Debbie McDaniel)
Father, I know that you are all-powerful, that you are Sovereign, and that nothing is too difficult for you. Yet today, I still struggle with worry and fear, still carrying the same burdens leftover from yesterday. It’s hard to shake it off even though I’m desperate to leave it fully in your hands. Please lift all the things that are weighing me down, right off shoulders and heavy heart, and give me the peace that only you can provide. I know that you care for whatever concerns me, and your ears are open to my prayers. I know that you understand my struggles, and you see right where I am, even on the days I feel that no one notices. Guard my heart and mind in you today, as I meditate on your words and truth. (Debbie McDaniel)
God. We confess our need for you today. We need your healing and your grace. We need hope restored. We need to be reminded that you work on behalf of those you love, constantly, powerfully, completely. Forgive us for trying to fix our situations all on our own. Forgive us for running all different directions and spinning our wheels to find help, when true help and healing must be found first in You. Forgive us for forgetting how much we need you, above everyone and everything else. We come to you and bring you the places we are hurting. You see where no one else is able to fully see or understand. You know the pain we've carried. The burdens. The cares. You know where we need to be set free. We ask for your healing and grace to cover every broken place. Every wound. Every heartache. Thank you that you are Able to do far more than we could ever imagine. Thank you for your Mighty Power that acts on behalf of your children. We reach out to you, and know that you are restoring and redeeming every place of difficulty, every battle, for your greater glory. Thank you that you will never waste our pain and suffering. We love you. We need you today. In Jesus Name, amen. (Debbie McDaniel)
For more on growing in your faith, see Cindi’s books: God’s Whispers to a Woman’s Heart, Letting God Meet Your Emotional Needs, and When Women Long for Rest.
Further Reading:
A Prayer to Start the New Month Right
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/AntonioGuillem
This article is part of our Prayer resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.
The Lord’s Prayer
Prayer for Peace
Morning Prayers
Good Night Prayers
Prayer for Healing
Prayer for Protection
Prayer for Anxiety
Prayer for Strength
Now available is our new Daily Prayer devotional and podcast! An easy way to start your day with prayer: read or listen to today’s prayer and sign up to receive it by email.