A Prayer for the New Year

Everyone has or will have a story. When you are in the middle of yours, you wonder...has the world always been like this? It is not until you are personally affected that you finally glimpse the depths of tragedy present in our world. When tragedy's black, gnarly fingers reach out and scratch your own, perfect piece of the world, you only then begin to notice the mark it has left on others. As I look back over the years, I see how far my family has come and how strong we've grown to be. The moment the world stops spinning for you and your mind forgets how to breathe and time stands still and tragedy introduces itself to your life with a hard knock, there is a domino effect. My family and I have advanced through stages of grief and are now in the healing process. On many days, I can tell my story without crying. I can recall memories and smile.  I believe that a huge part of our story, part of the domino affect, is how my family has grown in our walk with Christ.

I can only speak for me, but I can say that I now see, think about, and consider other people's stories. One of the most profound things that I have came to realize is that there is a whole, entire planet of hurting people. Many with stories far worse than mine. I've spent a lot of quiet time devoted to thinking about how big our world is and how small I am. I believe that this is important. It had a direct affect on my prayer life in that I realized I am only a small piece of a very big puzzle. And in the same instance that I can revel at the magnitude of humanity, I can also know without a shadow of a doubt that Christ was thinking of me on Calvary. That fact astounds me.

We are not puppets. Often, as a little girl, I wondered why God let Eve take fruit from that tree when I knew He had the power to stop her. I can remember the day that I came to my own realization: if we (Adam & Eve) had never chosen to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, than we (Adam generation) would have never had free will. That historical moment established the choice of "good or evil" to be posed to every individual of the Adam generation. What glory would God get, if we did not have to consciously choose Him? And because of the free will that He gave us, we make our own choices. Choices that have consequences and effects and ripples. Disease, suffering, pain, sorrow and death are plentiful and powerful and no amount of prayer is going to erase that in the carnal sense. However, and this is a big however, believing in the life of Jesus Christ -our Savior who was born of a virgin, murdered for our sins, and resurrected for our hope- can and will put an end to sin's destruction in your spiritual life. When you believe in Him and submit to Him as Lord of your life, you will be made new and the promise and hope of Heaven will be yours.

So, the prayer for salvation is the single most important and precious prayer ever uttered. It is the only prayer a sinner is capable of praying. It causes the angels to rejoice. And after that prayer, well prayer becomes our gateway for conversation with our Creator. The fact that we are even given the opportunity and the promise that He -the Almighty- hears us, humbles me speechless.


Here's my personal prayer for the new year:

Heavenly Father, 

It is my prayer as we enter another year of life on this Earth that continues to grow further and further away from You, that You grant me the grace to remember that though Christians may lose battles, You have already won the war. Remind me to choose joy daily and let my light shine so that others will see You in me. Let me run my race with endurance. Have mercy on me and mine, that we may continue to grow our faith in our walk with You and seek Your face. Let our lives be a testimony of Your Love. Give us a passion for Your Word and the strength to apply it to our lives.  Forgive us for our shortcomings and our pride of life. Remember we are but flesh. Continue to strengthen my marriage so that the enemy has no room to come between us. Help us seek Your will in everything we do so that You may direct our paths. May we glorify You with our choices. Each day of 2016, help me strive to become Christ-like, put on my armor, take up my cross, and follow You. Though I desire Your favor and hand of mercy, when the bad days and trials come, help us remember that the God of the day is also God of the night. Though the events of the new year are uncertain, Your unconditional and unchanging love for us is not. I thank you for another year of life lived and lessons learned. Thank you for all the blessings we do not deserve. Thank you for both answered and unanswered prayers. I pray, Father, that you continue to work on me and my husband and use us in a powerful way to further Your Kingdom. Help us keep You as the center of our lives and marriage. Humble us so that You may be exalted. Help us praise You in our storms and know that it is well with our soul. 

It is in Jesus' precious name that I pray, 

Amen.