I love the start of a new year. It’s like a clean slate where you can make it be anything you want it to be. You can create as few or as many goals as you want and go after them. You can establish new routines and habits and strive to make it the best year yet.
A new year brings a lot of uncertainty as well. I don’t say this to be a downer or as a scare tactic, but none of us knows what the future will bring. Therefore, I think it’s important to pray over our year and our health, desires, plans, and peace of mind.
Here are some prayers to pray over different areas of your life today:
Dear Lord, I pray for your peace to wash over me. We live in a scary and unstable world that can consume us with fear and worry. Please give me the peace I need in order not to worry about the toils of the world. To remind me you are with me everywhere I go, every minute of every day. Help me live in peace and not in mental and emotional turmoil. Amen.
Please help me find joy in each day. I know there will be good days and bad days, but there is always something good in every day. I ask that you help me see this regularly, and when I don’t, reveal it to me. If I come to a point where I have no joy, restore this in me so that I can bring joy to others and you. Amen.
Lord, I pray over my family right now. Both near and far. I ask that you walk with them everywhere they go and protect them. I pray over my family members who are dealing with different issues. That you will be right there amid them to bring comfort and peace. Help them find the answers they are seeking to whatever is going on. Renew their faith in you so that they can get through anything. In your name, I pray. Amen.
Thank you for my friends, Lord. They mean so much to me. I pray over all my friends right now and that you will be with them throughout this year. Please lead my friends who don’t believe in you, showing them the path of repentance, belief, and salvation. I pray for my friends who are going through hard times right now, and I ask that you will lead them to the answer they seek, which is you. Amen.
Lord, sometimes I am guilty of running ahead and forging my path when things aren’t going well. Please forgive me and help me trust in you and your plans for me. For I know that what you have in store is so much better than what I’m trying to carve out for myself. Help me trust your path and its process. In your name, I pray. Amen.
Lord, I pray for wisdom this year. When life throws curve balls, I ask that you help me discern your voice in every situation. I need your help to make the right decisions and follow the path you have laid out for me. Amen.
I pray for my goals for this year. Lord, I ask that you will make clear the things I shouldn’t be pursuing right now and push me forward on the things I should be chasing. Although I have my own pursuits and passions, only the ones that you approve are worth it to me. Please give me clarity so that I can balance following your lead with pursuing my goals. Amen.
I pray for my health this year. Please help me overcome the bad health habits I have fallen into and develop new, healthier habits. For you dwell in me, and my body is a temple; therefore, I want to be in the best shape I can be. I know it will take work, but with you by my side, I know I can do this. Still, I need your help to keep me on track. In your name, I pray. Amen.
Marriage: Dear Lord, I pray over my marriage this year. Please help my spouse and me stay close and work on anything that needs attention. No marriage is perfect, and it takes a lot of work. Thank you for my spouse. I love him/her so much and am so glad that they love you like I do. I ask that you help us see the things that we need to work on and enjoy the special moments together. In your name, I pray. Amen.
Relationship: Dear Lord, I pray for my relationship with my boyfriend/girlfriend. I thank you that you brought us together and that we have so much in common. Most importantly, thank you for bringing me someone who loves you. I ask that you will guard us and guide us this year, helping us to make our relationships with you and each other stronger than ever. Guide us with your wisdom and help us make excellent decisions. In your name, I pray. Amen.
Lord, I pray over my children this year. I ask that you will be with them and that you will guard them and guide them every day. Lord, please help my teenage children in making excellent decisions and following the morals and values they were taught. Protect them from their own foolishness. I pray you will be with my younger ones as well during the day, and I pray they will come to you with a childlike faith. Thank you for blessing me with them. They are my greatest gifts from you.
Lord, I pray for my pets this year. I pray you will guard them when we are not around and protect them in any unforeseen circumstances. They are not just pets to me; they are part of this family, and I know you love them as much, if not more than we do. Please help me be the best parent to these creatures you have entrusted to me. In your name, I pray. Amen.
Dear Lord, we live in a world where there is an utter lack of self-control. People will say and do anything they want, online or in person. I know sometimes I have issues with my self-control, making a comment I shouldn’t on social or doing something in public that I shouldn’t. Please help me with my self-control. I don’t want to be like the world. I long to be more like you. When I have the urge to say or do something, please help me pause and think it through. I want to get this fruit of the Spirit under control and I need your help. Amen.
Dear Lord, I pray over the year ahead. I pray you will guide me and my family, friends, and loved ones so that we can follow the path you have laid out for us. Please give us your wisdom and help us trust the path you have us on, no matter how difficult it may be. We give to you our hopes, dreams, goals, worries, fears, and doubts and put our total trust in you with the new year ahead of us. In your name, I pray. Amen.
Now and as you go throughout the year, continue to pray for the different areas of your life and that the Lord will lead you through your best year yet.
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