What Do I Do With This New Year?

THERE’S SOMETHING SCARY and surreal about entering a new year when your life is in upheaval—kind of like looking ahead into a vast unknown. You don’t know if you want to step out into it, but you know you have no choice. Time propels you forward. Whether you choose to take that step or not, you will be there. The numbers will change. The ball will fall. You will be in a new year. The old will be left behind

For some of us, we may breathe a sigh of relief at the new beginning. Others of us approach the change with dread. The unknowns may even frighten us.

For me, after losing my husband, and for many of you in the middle of crisis, we face this new year with trepidation. What do I do with this new year? What will it look like? What decisions will I have to make? How will I make them?

No one knows what 2025 will look like because no one has been there. What do we do with this new year?

Be Still and Know that I am God

Yesterday, as I busied myself with small tasks left over from Christmas and thought about the start of a new year, I felt this nagging reminder. “You’re forgetting something, Linda.”

“Huh?”

“If you’re unsettled, where do you go for answers?”

“To you, Lord. I pray to you throughout the day. I know you’re with me.”

“But where do you go for answers? For guidance? For reassurance?”

“Your Word, Lord. And I’ve neglected to spend time in your Word, haven’t I.”

So once again, I’m reminded of Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God”– a truth I know all too well, but still often neglect to implement in my daily life. Spending intentional time with God in prayer and in His Word provides the peace needed to face the unexpected.

As we walk into 2025 and wonder “what do I do with this new year? God wants us to know his promise of Jeremiah 29:11, “’I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

But I believe He first wants us to be still, quieting our hearts and minds in His presence, so we can “Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14).

So as 2024 fades into the rear view mirror and 2025 approaches, I encourage you to spend a day with God in prayer and in His Word. Seek Him first before launching out into the unknowns of this New Year. Let Him give you His strength and confidence for facing the year ahead.

As you seek His direction in the various areas of your life, the following is an outline with scriptures you can use as a vehicle to help in your prayer time with Him.