A New Year's Prayer for Liberty Bible Church
January 1, 2011

We stand on the edge of a new year and we are grateful that you stand here with us.

Looking to the year ahead, dear Father, we realize how much we don’t know and how much we need to depend on you.

      Forgive us for our impatience in wanting to know what is not ours to know.

      Forgive us for running ahead of you when we should be quietly waiting on you.

Forgive us for telling you what you need to do for us rather than following you in the path you open before us.

Ahead of us stretch 365 separate days.

For the most part, each day on the calendar of this new year is empty.

Oh, we have a few things written down:

      A doctor’s appointment here,

      A vacation there, and

      Some time with family and friends along the way.

But lots of our days are unwritten.

Help us, dear Father, to hold each day as a gift from you.

      Help us to not presume that we are in control.

      Help us to trust you when our plans are not your plans.

For some, this new year is filled with anticipation.

      There are weddings being planned,

      The birth of children and grandchildren to look forward to,

      And graduation celebrations to attend.

Father, we ask you to bless those who enter this year with a sense of excitement.

      May they know your joy in the events they anticipate,

      May they realize all that they hope for as they trust in you to guide and provide.

Others enter the new year with a sense of sadness as they.

      Face the anniversary of the death of a loved one,

      Approach the dissolution of their marriage through the pain of divorce,

      Continue the search for a job when jobs are hard to find.

Gracious God, for those who face unwanted loss and pain, may you bless them with comfort and grace for these days.

      May those who have lost a loved one find your comfort to be sufficient,

      May those who have experienced the hurt of divorce find healing in you,

      May those who lost a job find you to be their provider.

Sovereign Father, give us your vision for this coming year,

      Help us to fulfill your purposes in the days that stretch before us.

As we walk forward with you,

      Strengthen our hearts,

      Deepen our faith,

      And refresh our spirits.

And when 2011 comes to a close, may we have lived this year to your glory.

This we pray, in Jesus’ name,

Amen

Blessings,

Pastor Bob

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