Faith & Life / Prayers for the Day
Quick Summary
The turn of the year is a natural time to pray. On New Year's Eve we look back and give thanks. On New Year's Day we look ahead and ask God to lead us. Scripture gives words for both. "Thus far the LORD has helped us" (1 Samuel 7:12). "I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" (Isaiah 43:19).
This page gives you New Year's Eve prayers and New Year prayers for the year ahead. You'll find a prayer of thanks for the past year, a prayer to let go of what lies behind, a Watch Night prayer for midnight, a New Year's Day prayer, prayers for your plans and resolutions, short New Year prayers, prayers for your family, a prayer after a hard year, prayers for children, a New Year blessing, and the best Bible verses for the new year.
New Year's Eve Prayers
New Year's Eve is a threshold. One year closes and another opens. Before the countdown and the fireworks, take a few minutes to look back over the year with God.
Looking Back: 1 Samuel 7:12
"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it Ebenezer; for he said, 'Thus far the LORD has helped us.'"
After God helped Israel through a dangerous battle, Samuel set up a stone and named it Ebenezer, "stone of help." Every time the people passed it, they would remember what God had done. That is the spirit of a New Year's Eve prayer: name the ways God helped you this year, so you can face the next one with confidence. The hymn "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" borrows the image: "Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I'm come."
A New Year's Eve Prayer of Thanks
Faithful God, thus far you have helped us. As this year ends, I look back and see your hand. Thank you for the gifts of this year: [name them]. Thank you for the people who walked with me, for the prayers you answered, and for the strength you gave me on the hard days. Thank you even for the prayers you answered differently than I hoped. You have been faithful every day of this year, and I raise my Ebenezer tonight. Amen.
For more prayers of gratitude, see Morning Prayers of Gratitude.
Letting Go: Philippians 3:13-14
"This one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus."
Paul had a past full of both achievement and regret. He chose to leave it behind and press forward. Isaiah heard the same word from God: "Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old" (Isaiah 43:18). Some things from this year need to be released: grudges, regrets, failures, and fears.
A New Year's Eve Prayer to Let Go
Lord, before this year ends, I bring you what I need to leave behind. [Name it.] Forgive me for the ways I fell short this year. Help me forgive those who hurt me. Take my regrets and my disappointments. I don't want to carry them into the new year. I set them down at your feet. Help me press on toward what you have ahead. Amen.
A Watch Night Prayer for Midnight
Many churches hold a Watch Night service on New Year's Eve, praying the old year out and the new year in. The tradition goes back to John Wesley and the early Methodists in the 1700s. It took on deep meaning in Black churches on December 31, 1862, "Freedom's Eve," when believers gathered to wait and pray for the Emancipation Proclamation to take effect on January 1, 1863. Watch Night remains a cherished service in many African American congregations today.
Methodists also mark the new year with a Covenant Renewal service, praying Wesley's Covenant Prayer, which begins, "I am no longer my own, but thine." For more on what a covenant is, see What Is a Covenant in the Bible?
A Midnight Prayer for the New Year
Eternal God, the old year is ending and the new year is beginning. You are the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). As the clock turns, I give you this new year. I am yours. Lead me where you want me to go. Use me how you want to use me. Whether this year brings joy or sorrow, plenty or need, keep me close to you. I begin this year in your name. Amen.
A New Year's Day Prayer
Lamentations 3:22-23
"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
The first morning of the year is a picture of what God gives every morning: a fresh start. These words come from one of the saddest books in the Bible, written after Jerusalem fell. Even there, the writer remembered that God's mercies are new each day. For more, see Who Wrote Lamentations?
A New Year's Day Prayer
Lord, your mercies are new this morning, and so is this year. Thank you for a fresh start. Your steadfast love didn't end with last year, and it won't run out in this one. Great is your faithfulness. Help me walk with you through every day of this new year, one morning at a time. Amen.
Isaiah 43:19 and 2 Corinthians 5:17
"I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:19)
"So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)
God promised exiles in Babylon a road home through the desert. He is still a God of new things. The newness the new year offers on the calendar, Christ offers to the heart. Read more in Bible Verses About New Beginnings and Bible Verses About Spiritual Renewal.
A Prayer for a New Beginning
God of new things, make a way for me this year where I see no way. Bring rivers to the dry places in my life. Help me perceive the new thing you are doing. I am in Christ, so make me new again. Let this year be marked by your grace. Amen.
A Prayer for the Year Ahead
Psalm 90:12
"So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart."
Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses about how short human life is. Its answer is a request for wisdom. A new year gives us 365 days. This prayer asks God to help us spend them well. For more morning prayers from this psalm, see Morning Prayers From the Psalms.
A Prayer to Count My Days
LORD, teach me to count my days this year. Help me spend my time on what matters: loving you, loving my family, serving my neighbors, and doing good work. Keep me from wasting days on worry, anger, or distraction. Give me a wise heart. Amen.
Proverbs 16:3 and James 4:15
"Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established." (Proverbs 16:3)
"Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.'" (James 4:15)
New Year's resolutions can be good. Scripture encourages us to plan, and it reminds us to hold our plans with open hands. James warns against boasting about tomorrow, because "you do not even know what tomorrow will bring" (James 4:14). Make your plans, and commit them to God. For more on prayer and work, see Morning Prayers for Work and Purpose.
A Prayer Over My New Year's Resolutions
Lord, here are my hopes and goals for this new year. [Name them.] I commit them to you. Establish the plans that are good, and change the ones that aren't. Give me discipline to keep going when I want to quit, and grace when I fall short. If you wish, I will live and do these things. Let it all be for your glory. Amen.
Short New Year Prayers
These short prayers work at the midnight countdown, at New Year's dinner, or in a text to a friend.
Thank you, Lord, for this past year. Lead us through the next one. Amen.
Thus far the LORD has helped us. Help us again this year. Amen.
Lord, your mercies are new every morning. Make this year new in you. Amen.
God, I give you this new year, every day of it. Amen.
A New Year Prayer for Family
Father, thank you for carrying our family through this past year. [Name the joys and the hard moments.] As we begin a new year together, bless our home. Help us love each other well, forgive quickly, and laugh often. Protect each of us, guide our decisions, and keep us close to you. Whatever this year holds, let us face it together and with you. Amen.
For more prayers to pray with your family, see Morning Prayers for Family.
A New Year Prayer After a Hard Year
Not everyone is glad to celebrate the new year. For some, the year that's ending brought loss, illness, or heartbreak, and the new one feels uncertain. Scripture ends with a promise for every hard year: "See, I am making all things new" (Revelation 21:5).
A Prayer for the End of a Hard Year
God, this year was hard, and I'm tired. You know everything I lost and everything I carried. I'm glad to see it end, and I'm afraid of what the next one will bring. Hold me as I step into it. You promised you are making all things new. Begin that work in me. Give me hope for this new year, one day at a time. Amen.
For more help in a difficult season, see Morning Prayers for Hard Times and Bible Verses About Hope in Hard Times.
New Year Prayers for Kids
Dear God, thank you for this past year. Please help me have a good new year. Help me learn and grow and be kind. Amen.
Jesus, thank you for always being with me. Please be with me every day this year. Amen.
A simple family tradition: on New Year's Eve, have each person name one way God helped them this year and one thing they hope for in the new year. Then pray together.
A New Year Blessing
Speak this blessing over your family, your church, or your friends as the new year begins.
The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
And may the God who helped you thus far go with you into every day of this new year. Amen.
Bible Verses for the New Year
Lamentations 3:22-23: "His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Isaiah 43:19: "I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?"
2 Corinthians 5:17: "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!"
Philippians 3:13-14: "Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal."
Psalm 90:12: "So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart."
Proverbs 16:3: "Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established."
Jeremiah 29:11: "For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope."
Psalm 65:11: "You crown the year with your bounty."
Hebrews 13:8: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Revelation 21:5: "See, I am making all things new."
For more, see Bible Verses About Time.
Keep Praying
For prayers through the holiday season, see Thanksgiving Prayers and Christmas Prayers. For a prayer for every season of the church year, see Morning Prayers for the Christian Year. To end each night of the new year with God, visit Nightly Prayers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good New Year's Eve prayer? Look back and thank God for his help this year, as Samuel did: "Thus far the LORD has helped us" (1 Samuel 7:12). Then ask him to lead you into the new year.
What is a short New Year prayer? "Thank you, Lord, for this past year. Lead us through the next one. Amen."
What is the best Bible verse for the new year? Lamentations 3:22-23 ("new every morning"), Isaiah 43:19 ("I am about to do a new thing"), and 2 Corinthians 5:17 ("everything has become new") are the most popular.
What is a Watch Night service? A service of prayer and worship on New Year's Eve that carries the church from the old year into the new. It began with John Wesley's Methodists and became especially meaningful in Black churches after "Freedom's Eve," December 31, 1862.
Should Christians make New Year's resolutions? Many do. Scripture encourages planning and self-discipline, and it reminds us to commit our plans to God and hold them humbly (Proverbs 16:3; James 4:15).
How do I pray when I'm dreading the new year? Tell God honestly what you fear, and hold on to his promises: his mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23), and he is making all things new (Revelation 21:5).
Works Consulted
Book of Common Worship. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Westminster John Knox Press.
Keller, Timothy. Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God. Dutton.
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version.
