A Prayer to Prepare Our Hearts for A New Year
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” - 2 Thessalonians 3:5
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When we ask God to prepare our hearts for a new year, what are we asking Him to accomplish in our lives? In looking at the life of Jesus, what did He do to prepare Himself to face each coming day and remain faithful? Many may believe that because Jesus was fully God and fully man, it was easy for Him. But when we look at His life on earth, what we see is a Savior who endured sorrow, temptation, severe criticism, and rejection to the point of death.
As Hebrews 4:15 describes, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin.”
Preparing Our Hearts
Jesus not only came to save us but to show us how to live on earth. Through His life, we discover how to prepare our hearts for the year to come. Following are five ways we can prepare our hearts like Jesus did.
1. Jesus prepared by submitting to God. Jesus yielded to God the Father, following His word and obeying His commandments, explaining in John 14:31, “But I do exactly what the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.” (BSB)
He submitted Himself to God the Father, abiding and remaining in Him in everything He did. “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves” (John 14:11).
2. Jesus prepared by spending time in prayer. Jesus took time to pray. Luke 6:12 describes how “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”
He committed Himself to prayer, as Luke 5:16 describes, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Jesus also encourages us to pray. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:4).
3. Jesus prepared by studying God’s word. Psalm 119:11 explains the importance of studying God’s word. “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”
In facing temptations, Jesus quoted God’s word because He knew the power it gives to resist temptation (Matthew 4:1-11).
Luke 2:46-47 describes how Jesus spent time studying. “After three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard Him was amazed at His understanding and His answers.”
2 Timothy 2:15 urges, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
One of our most powerful and effective preparations to face the coming year comes through reading and studying the word of God, so that we’re prepared to apply it and speak it out in all the situations we may face in the coming year.
4. Jesus prepared by being led by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 4:1 reveals how Jesus was led by the Spirit, even to temptation. “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”
Not tempted by God but led by His Spirit to face it, as James 1:13 clarifies, “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.”
5. Jesus prepared by sharing the Good News. Jesus shared the Good News of God’s love with all those around Him in various settings and opportunities. As 2 Timothy 4:2 urges, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”
By preparing ourselves through daily reading of God’s word, we are making ourselves ready to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to anyone who asks. Because God’s word is alive and active, even if we are hesitant or shy in speaking it out, it has a way of rising up within us to where we feel the urge to share it.
As Hebrews 4:12 explains, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father,
Thank you for sending Jesus to the world to show us how to prepare our hearts for the coming days of the New Year ahead of us. We praise You, O Lord, for His sinless life on earth and the ways He teaches us how to be devoted to You. Like Jesus, help us to prepare for the New Year by submitting to You in all we do, spending time in prayer, studying Your word, being led by Your Holy Spirit, and sharing the Good News of Your gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ. Strengthen our hearts to be faithful and true to You in all that we do every day of this coming new year.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/kieferpix
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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 Monday, 30 December 2024.
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