A New Year prayer
For New Year's Eve, New Year's Day or the first quiet morning of January. Pray it slowly and stop where you need to.
A prayer for the new year
Lord, here I am at the edge of another year. Thank You for the one behind me: for the mornings You gave me, the people who loved me, the prayers You answered and the ones You carried me through without answering the way I wanted.
I don't know what this year holds. You do. I'm not asking You to make it easy, just to stay close. Make me quicker to forgive, slower to worry and more present with the people I love. Whatever comes, let me meet it with You. Amen.
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
Short New Year prayers
One line each, for the countdown, the car or the first coffee of the year.
- Lord, this year is Yours. Lead me through it. Amen.
- Father, thank You for this year. I trust You with the next one. Amen.
- Jesus, whatever is coming, come with me. Amen.
- God, Your mercies are new this morning. Help me live like it. Amen.
- Holy Spirit, make me a little more like Jesus this year. Amen.
- Lord, teach me to count my days and spend them well. Amen.
New Year's Eve prayer (for midnight or a watch night service)
New Year's Eve falls on Thursday, December 31, 2026, and New Year's Day on Friday, January 1, 2027. Some people spend the night at a party, some at church and some asleep by ten. You can pray in any of those places, even in the ten seconds before midnight.
A prayer at midnight
God, the clock is about to turn. Before the noise and the hugs, I want to start this year with You. Thank You for every day of the last one. Forgive what I got wrong. Hold what I'm carrying into the next. Let my first words this year be "thank You." Amen.
Watch Night
Many churches hold a Watch Night service on December 31, praying the old year out and the new year in. The practice goes back to the Moravians and John Wesley's early Methodists in the 1700s. In Black churches it carries a deeper memory. On December 31, 1862, Black Americans, enslaved and free, gathered in churches and homes on what became known as Freedom's Eve, praying through the night as they waited for the Emancipation Proclamation to take effect on January 1, 1863. Many Black congregations have kept Watch Night ever since, as worship and as remembrance.
A Watch Night prayer
Faithful God, we have watched this year to its end, and You have kept us. Some of us are here who almost weren't. Some names we spoke last year, we now speak in memory. Thank You for bringing us through.
As the new year comes in, we lift it to You: our families, our church, our neighborhood and our work. Keep us faithful. Keep us free. Keep us watching for You. Amen.
A quiet New Year's Eve at home
Lord, no party this year. Just me [and the dog] and a cup of tea, and honestly, that's fine. Thank You for this quiet. Let me end the year at peace with You and with myself, and wake up tomorrow ready for whatever You give me. Amen.
Many Catholics go to Mass on January 1 for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and begin the year with prayer there.
Wesley's Covenant Prayer (a traditional New Year prayer)
In 1780 John Wesley published Directions for Renewing our Covenant with God, drawing on the words of the Puritan pastor Richard Alleine. Methodists still pray a form of it at a covenant service at the start of each year. Below is the heart of the older text, with the spelling modernized. It's a prayer of handing everything over, and it's worth praying slowly.
The Covenant Prayer (from Wesley's 1780 Directions)
I put myself wholly into thy hands: put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt; put me to doing, put me to suffering, let me be employed for thee, or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee, or trodden under foot for thee; let me be full, let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing, I freely, and heartily resign all to thy pleasure and disposal.
O dreadful Jehovah, the Lord God Omnipotent, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Thou art now become my Covenant-Friend, and I through thine infinite grace, am become thy Covenant-Servant. Amen. So be it. And the Covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.
From John Wesley, Directions for Renewing our Covenant with God (1780), after Richard Alleine. Text checked against the 1781 edition.
"Dreadful" here means awe-inspiring, not terrible. If the old words feel heavy, pray the first paragraph alone. It says, in short: wherever You put me this year, I'm Yours.
A prayer looking back with gratitude
Before you ask God for anything about next year, thank Him for this one. It's easier to face next year after you've counted what God did in this one.
A prayer of thanks for the year
Father, I'm looking back over this year, and I want to thank You properly. Thank You for [the new job, the grandkids' visit, the year we finally paid off the car, the friend who called every week].
Thank You for the ordinary days I didn't notice at the time: dinners, walks, a good laugh in the kitchen. Thank You for the things that could have gone wrong and didn't. You were kinder to me than I knew. Amen.
Try a twelve-month look back
Open your calendar or your camera roll and go month by month. Name one thing in each month to thank God for. Twelve thank-yous take about ten minutes, and it's a good thing to do as a family on New Year's Day.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Prayer for the new year ahead
It's right to ask God for a good year. But the Bible doesn't promise a year without trouble, or a raise, or a guaranteed answer to every plan. It promises that God goes with His people. So pray about your hopes, and pray even more about who you're becoming.
A prayer for the year ahead
God, I have plans for this year: [get healthier, read through a Gospel, pay off the card]. I offer them to You. Bless what's good in them, and change what isn't.
If the year goes the way I hope, keep me humble. If it doesn't, keep me close. Either way, make me more like Jesus by December. Amen.
A prayer for a fresh start
Jesus, I want to start over. Last year happened, and I won't pretend it didn't. But I don't want it to decide everything. Thank You that I don't have to wait for January to start again, and that today counts. Help me take one small step today, and another one tomorrow. Amen.
A prayer for New Year's goals
Holy Spirit, I've made resolutions before and dropped them by February. This year, give me one or two worth keeping, and the patience to keep them on the days I don't feel like it. Let my goals serve God and the people around me, not just how I look to others. Amen.
A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
New Year prayer for family
A prayer for your family, one to pray with them around the table on New Year's Day and a blessing parents can speak over their children.
A New Year prayer for my family
Father, bless our family this year. Watch over our health, and carry us through whatever sickness or trouble comes. Give [the kids] good friends and good teachers. Help us eat dinner together more, argue less and say sorry sooner. Let our home be a place where people feel safe and loved, including the ones who visit. Amen.
A family prayer to pray together
God, thank You for our family and for this past year. Thank You for [each person's thank-you]. Here's what we're hoping for this year: [each person's hope]. Be with us in all of it, the plans that work out and the ones that don't. Amen.
Before you pray, go around the table: each person names one thing they're thankful for from last year and one thing they hope for this year. Then fill them in.
For family you won't see much this year
Lord, I'm praying for [Name], who I won't see as often as I'd like this year. Distance, schedules and old hurts get in the way. Bless them wherever they are. Keep them safe, and give us more good conversations than last year. Amen.
Parents can say the old blessing from Numbers 6:24–26 ("The LORD bless thee, and keep thee") over their children at midnight or at breakfast on New Year's Day, with a hand on each head. The full text, and ways to say it in your own words, are in our New Year blessings.
New Year prayers for kids
Short enough for little ones, and real enough for older kids who know the year had hard parts too.
- Dear God, thank You for this year. Help me be brave and kind in the new one. Amen.
- Jesus, thank You for my friends and my family. Stay with us all year. Amen.
- God, help me learn new things this year, even the hard ones. Amen.
- Thank You, God, for every birthday, snow day and sleepover this year. Amen.
- Holy Spirit, help me be a good friend at school this year. Amen.
A New Year's Eve bedtime prayer (for kids who won't make it to midnight)
Dear God, everyone else is staying up, but I'm going to sleep. That's okay, because You stay up all night anyway. Thank You for this year. Please watch over the new one while I sleep, and help me wake up happy. Amen.
A hope in an envelope
Have each child write or draw one hope for the year, seal it in an envelope and pray over it together. Open the envelopes next New Year's Eve and talk about how God was with you. Our prayer board ideas have more ways to keep a family's prayers where everyone can see them.
New Year blessings for family and friends
A blessing is a short prayer spoken over someone else. Say one at midnight, write it in a card or send it as a text. There are many more in our New Year blessings.
Short New Year blessings to say
- May God go before you, beside you and behind you in every month of this year. Amen.
- May you find the Lord faithful in the plans that work out and the ones that don't. Amen.
- May this year teach you something good about God that you didn't know last January. Amen.
- May the God who kept you last year keep you in this one too. Amen.
Texts to send
Happy New Year. Thanking God for you as this year ends.
Praying for you as the year turns. May you know God's kindness in every month of this one.
Happy New Year, [Name]. I'm so glad we did this year together.
New calendar, same God. Praying He's close to you all year.
I know this year was a lot. Praying the next one is gentler. I'm here.
For a card, a verse makes a good blessing on its own:
The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
New Year prayer after a hard year
For some people, the year ending was the worst of their life: a funeral, a scan result, a marriage that ended, a layoff. Midnight doesn't fix that, and you don't have to pretend it does. Lamentations 3, the source of "new every morning," was written after Jerusalem was destroyed, by someone who had lived through the worst year imaginable.
When you're glad the year is over
God, I'm glad this year is over. [Name it] It took more from me than I knew I had. I'm not walking into the new year full of hope. I'm limping.
Meet me here anyway. I don't need a perfect year. I need You near in this one. Amen.
For a friend who had a hard year
Lord, [Name] had a hard year. You saw all of it: [the hospital visits, the empty house, the job search]. Give them rest in these last days of it. Let the new year bring some relief and a few good surprises. And where it doesn't, hold them. Amen.
It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
If the holidays have left you more than sad, like unable to sleep or eat, or thinking about not wanting to be here, please talk to a doctor, counselor or pastor. In the US, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time. Our prayers for grief may help too.
New Year prayer for work and school
Praying for yourself? Swap [Name] for "me."
Going back to work
Lord, I go back to work [on Monday] with a full inbox and a new year of the same job. Help me do it well and honestly. Give me patience with my coworkers and my boss. If it's time for a change, make the next step clear. If it's time to stay, help me stay with a good heart. Amen.
A new semester
God, a new semester is starting. Help [Name] show up, keep up and ask for help sooner this time. Give good teachers, kind friends and enough sleep. And when the grades come back, remind [Name] that grades aren't the whole story. Amen.
- Father, I'm starting this year looking for work. Open the right door, and keep me hopeful while I wait. Amen.
- Lord, help me lead my team with patience and fairness this year. Amen.
- God, give me courage for the new job I start this month. Amen.
New Year prayer for your small group
For the first meeting of January. If you lead the group, our guide on leading group prayer has ideas for helping quieter people pray out loud.
For a small group's first meeting of the year
Lord, thank You for this group and for everything You did among us last year: [the baby who arrived, the surgery that went well, the friend who came back]. We also bring You the prayers still waiting for an answer.
As we start a new year, keep us honest with each other and faithful in prayer. Help us notice who's missing and go after them. Make us a group that loves people well. Amen.
A New Year prayer for our world
God of all nations, we pray for the world this year. Give wisdom to our leaders and the people who vote for them. Bring peace where there is war, and safety to families who have had to run. Bless our town: the schools, the hospital, the people on our street we've never met. Show us our part. Amen.
Read last January's requests
If your group keeps a prayer list, read last year's first few requests aloud at your first meeting. You'll be surprised how many have been answered, and it's a good way to start the year with thanks.
Prayer goals for the new year
Instead of a big resolution to "pray more," try a few small habits you can actually keep. Pick one or two.
- 1
Pick three people to pray for every week
Write their names on a card or in your phone. Pray for them once a week, and ask them every month how you can pray. Our guide on how to pray for someone has simple words to start with.
- 2
Tie prayer to something you already do
Your first coffee, the commute, brushing your teeth. A habit you already have is the easiest place to hang a new one.
- 3
Pray one psalm a week
Read it on Monday and pray a line of it each day. There are 150, so you'll have plenty for the year.
- 4
Keep a list of requests and answers
Write down what you ask for and the date. When something changes, write that down too. By December you'll have a record of God's faithfulness. A wall or corkboard works well; see our prayer board ideas.
- 5
Find one prayer partner
One friend, one short check-in a week: "How can I pray for you?" See our guide to praying with friends.
- 6
Start again without guilt
You'll miss a week. Everyone does. Just pick it back up the next day. God isn't keeping score of your streak.
New Year Bible verses
Verses for a card, a journal's first page or the fridge door, with a little context for each.
Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Spoken to God's people in exile in Babylon, promising a way home. It isn't about forgetting the past, but about not letting it keep you from seeing what God is doing now.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
This is one of the most quoted verses every January ("an expected end" means a future and a hope), and it's worth reading in context. God said it to Jewish exiles in Babylon, right after telling them they'd be there for seventy years (Jeremiah 29:10). It's a promise of God's good purposes over a long, hard wait, not a guarantee that this year will go to plan. That makes it more comforting, not less.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Calendars change. He doesn't.
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
A good verse to write above your goals for the year.
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Questions people ask
What is a good prayer for the new year?
An honest one with three parts: thank God for the year that's ending, give Him the year ahead and ask for help with one or two specific things, like patience at home or wisdom at work. A few sentences is enough.
What is a good New Year's Eve prayer?
Something short you can pray just before midnight: thank God for the year, ask forgiveness for what went wrong and give Him the first moment of the new one. Many churches also hold a Watch Night service that prays the year out together.
What is the Covenant Prayer?
A prayer of surrender John Wesley published in 1780, drawing on the Puritan writer Richard Alleine. Methodists pray a form of it at a covenant service at the start of each year, and the full older wording is on this page.
What is a short New Year blessing?
Something like "May God go with you into every month of this year." Many people also speak the old blessing from Numbers 6:24–26 over their families on New Year's Day.
What Bible verse is good for the new year?
Lamentations 3:22–23 (God's mercies are new every morning), Isaiah 43:18–19 ("I will do a new thing") and Psalm 90:12 ("teach us to number our days") are three of the most loved.
Is Jeremiah 29:11 about the new year?
Not originally. It was a promise to exiles facing a long wait, and it tells us God's purposes are good, not that every year will go to plan. See the note under the verse below.
