A Prayer For the New Year

Scripture:  Ephesians 3:14-21 - For this reason I bow my knees to the Father [a]of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Our Heavenly Father and our Almighty God -- We as your children are filled with thanks
and excitement that You allow us to enter into another year as we look for the return of Your
Son and our Savior Jesus Christ.  We realize Father that we are one more year closer to that
great event of seeing Him whom our hearts truly long to see.  That day when our faith that has
carried us all this time will become a glorious sight. and we can stand in the presence of Jesus.
In our moments of reflection, we realize that if it had not been for Your grace, mercy, and
faithfulness to us, we would be consumed in the anguish of a world that rebels against You and
those You have left in this world to be Your lights in the midst of this darkness.  We thank You
for the joy and comfort of knowing that You are with us in every fiery furnace that comes to our
lives.

We praise You for every provision given to us by the Holy Spirit to do and become all that
You saved us for as we live and move and have our being for Your glory.  We praise You for the
good times, and we thank You for Your keeping power through the bad times also.  You have
taught us and shown us throughout the year as well as our lives that You are working all things
together for good.  Your grace is sufficient for us, and it is true that when we are weak Your
strength is what carries us through the trials and temptations that befall us.  What a confidence
and an assurance this has been to our faith in You and Your purposes for our lives.
Our God and Father -- With all that You have done for us we rejoice in the Psalmist words of
praise, “Blessed be the LORD, who daily loads us with benefits, even the God of our salvation”.
Your goodness to us is far more than we deserve, yet You remain faithful to Your purposes in
our lives.  We know that last year we were not what we should have been at all times in our
attitudes, words, behaviors and obedience to all things that You expect of us, but as we look
into this new year we confess those things as sin and leave them behind as we press on to a
new beginning granted unto us.

Father we pray for the children and those just embarking new adulthood.  Please raise up a new generation that is mighty in the Spirit.  Even from early ages, our children would be a mighty army of simple faith and praises that will overcome the adversaries of the faith.  Please bless our

homes and raise up a renewed spirit by the Holy Spirit in parents that will invest and care about the spiritual priority of Christ in our young people.   Please let us see a year of new power flourishing through us and Your fruitfulness in and through us abounding in every area that You plant us. Oh God You are our hope, our help and our ever present healer in Jesus’ name, amen.

(by Pastor Wayne Cockrell)