A Bible Study and Prayer for New Years Eve
Tonight, is a night of celebration; a new year is born. But how we end one year and begin another is important—it is the sign of our first thoughts. Who do we think of first… ourselves… our loved ones? Tonight give some time to the God who provides, year in and year out, for us. Think of him first.
Prayer of Thanks
The Psalms record this observation about God providing every year for his people:
You crown the year with your bounty,
and your carts overflow with abundance. (Psalm 65:11)
It is God who provides year after year. All the things we think we earn are actually entrustments from a providing God. We are gifted to live in his world which He renews every year with seasons and harvests. Spend time offering thanks. As a group, mention one sentence prayers of thanks or alone spend time thanking God specifically for all that He has provided for you. Here are just a few things you might be thankful for:
- Finances in a downturned economy
- Physical strength to accomplish tasks
- Relationships and loved ones with whom we celebrate
- Peace in our country
As our year has grown old and is about to end,ponder the heart of our Father God who wishes to bless and make all things new even if we have failed. He is strong when we are weak…forgiving when we need forgiveness. He is loving at all times. Peter reminds us that our thanks should flow from a heart blessed with the greatest of all gifts—salvation and forgiveness that come from Jesus. We are spiritually born anew because of the love of our God.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)
Make sure to thank God for the relationship you have with him because of Jesus’ resurrection.
Prayer of Forgiveness
There are probably things about the past 12 months that you would wish to change. So too did the Apostle Paul, God’s great emissary who announced the truth of Christ across the known world. Listen to his words:
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)
Isaiah wrote:
Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:18-19)
Spend time silently letting go of the former things. Pray over areas where you have failed and ask for forgiveness. He promises to forgive. Go into this coming year with a clean heart and a fresh spirit. This New Year’s night, let go of what has been in the past. Renew yourself with the thought that God’s faithfulness, rather than our own, is what we depend on. And commit to running the race better next year.
Prayer of Dependence
End your time by requesting God’s leading in the coming year. Commit to seeking God, winning the prize of his approval. Seek his direction not just your own expecting him to do great things. He promises to lead those who seek him:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways depend on him
And He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
As you move into the coming year, place these Scriptures in a location where you can meditate on them. Think about God’s gifts and his promise to provide for us that He keeps every year. Seek his direction, not just now, but every day, gaining his best for your life.
Benediction
And may the Lord who knows all our needs supply them according to the wealth of wisdom, strength and power available in the mighty work of Christ Jesus. May He be blessed by our lives of commitment. May we grow into a walk with him that is both close and submissive. And may 2012 be a year of immense blessing as we mature and grow close in our walk with our God.
Happy New Year!!!