A prayer for this new year
The new year is mere hours away, and I find myself with the perennial blend of hope with a twinge of overwhelm. I have my fresh new planners—three in fact—all ready to tackle the coming year in a super-organized, over-achieving kind of way.
Goals and projects dance on the horizon with shimmers of optimism and opportunity. Healthier eating, achieving writing dreams, finally doing all of the things I promised myself I would do are coming closer with each tick of the clock.
There’s little wonder that the new year feels stressful already. Productivity podcasts, books on optimizing workflow, and shiny new systems for keeping myself organized and encouraged make promises that I can do all things, if I work hard enough and maintain the zen-like state of “Inbox Zero.”
But, as the calendar turns, turn off the hum of the perpetual machine demanding you do more and be more. Listen to the still, small voice calling you to come near.
James 4:8 tells us to draw near to God and He will draw near to us. He is a Good Shepherd, not a taskmaster demanding us to work harder and faster. He leads us to rest in green pastures and beside quiet waters. He walks with us through dark, scary places, and comforts and guides us all along the way.
Because of Him, I don’t have to strive so hard. He invites me to His pace, to trade the rhythms and demands of the world for not just the wonders of a someday heaven but life to the full right here on earth because of the peace and presence of Emmanuel, God with us.
My prayer for this new year is that I will approach 2022 with a spirit to draw as close to God as I possibly can, to seek Him and His righteousness each day, and to not work so hard to shine my light but to be a willing vessel that allows His light to shine through me.
One of my favorite songs of 2021 has been “Shall Not Want.” I learned it in choir and love singing along with Maverick City Music. Note that the song like the Psalm it is based on doesn’t say “I will try my best not to want” or “I hope not to want.” The call is that we shall not. May that be our resolve for this new year. When pressure and fear and loneliness and heartbreak and a million other things press around us, may we choose to draw near and rest in God’s love because of the sacrifice of Jesus.
Praying we will all shine bright for Jesus in 2022 and forever. Happy New Year!
