A Prayer to Renew Your Trust in God This New Year
By Heidi Vegh
Bible Reading:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28
Listen or Read Below:
It is always a refreshing feeling as we step into a new year. A clean slate, nothing tainting the hope that we feel. We may make resolutions or commit to newer and better habits. We tend to forget our shortcomings or failures from past years with a renewed sense of optimism for the new, bright year. However, if we are coming off of a hard year, then it may be hard to feel a sense of refreshment or hope. Our current problems didn’t disappear as we sang “Happy New Year.” They followed us right past midnight.
If you are experiencing hardship this new year, let’s make one new commitment, resolution, or habit. Let us commit to trusting God with everything. This is much easier said than done, of course, but what better time and place to recommit our lives to Jesus and aim to trust Him, no matter what comes our way? We have a very real enemy that comes only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). He wants to see us suffer; he wants us overwhelmed, frustrated, and believing lies that we can’t overcome our difficulties. But the enemy is the prince of darkness and will do anything to keep you from living for the Lord, sharing His truth, and living a life of victory in Jesus.
Perhaps, this new year along with making a resolution to trust God more, we look at our lives and ask God to show us what lies we are believing about ourselves, others, or the world. What lies are rattling around in your brain that have relaxed into such a permanent place that they have become part of who you are?
Let’s remember Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Recognizing that we have a real enemy is step one. Thinking about what we think about is the next step. We are what we think, and if our minds are cluttered with negativity, then our lives will reflect that. If we think of the things of God and reject lies, we can look out past our dark circumstances with trust and hope. Once the enemy knows you are on to him, it will be harder for him to bring you down. Remember that Jesus has the victory, not us. Remember that Jesus has the power, not us. We can walk with Jesus in victory over the powers of sin and darkness and learn to walk in the light. We can learn to trust Jesus no matter what comes our way.
Let’s Pray:
Lord, I feel defeated as the new year has come. I want to be joyful, hopeful, and excited for what is to come, but the circumstances of my life make it so hard. The lies I believe about myself are all-consuming, and I can’t seem to break free. I want to trust you, Jesus. I want to surrender my worry, my shame, my guilt, and my despair. It is heavy, and I don’t want to carry it any longer. I want to live a life of victory but every day I am battling my thoughts and circumstances and struggling to trust that any good can come from this.
Lord, I want to renew my trust in you in this new year. Please help me to recognize the lies that tell me I am not good enough or that I am alone. Give me the strength and endurance to look past my circumstances and to see you standing with me, trusting that you work all things for good for those who love you. (Romans 8:28). Lord, bring me scriptures of truth from your Word that I can recite to combat lies and speak truth into my heart. Bring people into my life that I can confide in, and that can encourage me to trust you, even when it doesn’t make sense. Bring to remembrance times in my life that you have shone into dark things and brought light and redemption. I want to hang on to your promises that you are with me and will never leave me. I want to trust that you can work all things together for your glory, even when it looks so dark. It is faith beyond my ability to trust you in all things, and I need your help, Lord.
I want to walk with faith like Moses, Abraham, and Isaac. I want to be able to look at a hard situation and be able to see past it with supernatural hope. I don’t want to be weighed down in this world anymore. Remind me to think of good things and bring to light the darkness that is hidden in my soul. Thank you, Jesus, for your truth, your light, and your love. Thank you that I don’t have to walk this world alone and that hard things don’t need to bring me down. Thank you, Jesus, for your saving grace and my ability to fight the enemy with the power that rose you from the dead. Thank you for the gospel. I pray that as this new year unfolds, I can look back and see your hand in all of it and see that you pulled me out of a slimy pit and put me on solid ground.
In your precious name, Jesus, I pray, amen.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/AaronAmat
Heidi Vegh is a writer, speaker, and ministry leader living in Western Washington. She is a remarried mother of four, navigating the blended family life after the loss of her first husband to cancer in 2013. She longs to use her writing as a way to encourage others who have experienced loss and guide them on the road to healing. She contributes to her blog found at www.mrsheidivegh.com , sharing stories and devotionals of faith stemming from her loss and healing, mothering, and her blended and complex family. She graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a degree in Creative Writing and English and is working on her first book. Heidi is the Women’s Ministry Director at her local church and has a deep heart for sharing Jesus with women and encouraging them in their faith walk. When she is not writing, she loves to travel, read, craft, and experiment in the kitchen. Visit her Facebook and Instagram (@mrsheidivegh) to learn more.
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
Originally published Saturday, 04 January 2025.
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