New Year's is a time of much celebration and joy. We are leaving the previous year behind and moving on to the year to come. This can be freeing for many people, as some years are better than others. If you had a particularly challenging year last year, rest assured that a fresh start is coming, and you can leave the past behind. A new year is a new chance to start over again and adopt a new approach to life.
Sometimes, this is precisely what we need when the New Year arrives: a fresh start. A new start can help us feel more hopeful. We should strive to think positively about the upcoming year, as thinking negatively or assuming the worst can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. To help prevent ourselves from becoming self-fulfilling prophecies, we need to reflect on a few Bible passages to help prepare our hearts for the upcoming New Year.
Here are five Bible passages to study, reflect upon, and pray over as you are entering the New Year. Talk with God about them, consult your Christian mentor, and seek out advice from other trusted Christians in your life as you are approaching the New Year. Think over these Bible passages in your spare time and discern what God might be trying to tell you. They all hold hope and encouragement, which is precisely what we need as we are entering a New Year.
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1. Matthew 28:20b
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b).
We can prepare our hearts for the New Year by focusing on Jesus' words in Matthew 28:20b. In this passage, Jesus tells us that He is with us always, to the very end of the age. This means the Lord will be with us forever. There will never come a day when the Lord is not with us. This can give us support and encouragement as we walk into the New Year.
The New Year may bring many troubles or hardships, but the Lord will be with us through all of them. He will never abandon us when challenging times come our way. He has promised to be with us always, and we need to hold on to this promise. Jesus loves us and He will forever be our biggest supporter, helper, and friend.
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2. Jeremiah 29:11
“‘For 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).
God spoke these words to the prophet Jeremiah; however, there is no reason to believe that God does not have unique plans for our lives as well. God has excellent plans for our future, and this upcoming year is part of His plans. God plans to prosper us and to give us hope as well as a future. No part of God’s plans causes harm to befall upon us.
As we prepare our hearts for the New Year, we need to continue leaning into His loving care. He has great plans for us—we need to be patient. It might take some time before His plans are fully revealed in our lives; however, when we do see His plans unravel in our lives, we will be overjoyed. God only has good things in store for us, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).
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3. Romans 15:13
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
Paul’s words inspire us to know that God is the God of all hope, and He will fill us with joy and peace as we trust in Him. To be filled with the hope of God is a tremendous blessing and gift. This alone can help us prepare for the New Year.
God doesn't want us to have a bleak outlook for the year to come. He wants us to be filled with hope. This year could be the best yet, which is why we need to approach it with a hopeful heart. Allow God to fill your heart with hope and bring your mind to a place of peace. If this is a struggle at first, go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to help you to trust in Him. God is worthy of your trust as He will never fail you.
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4. Lamentations 3:22-23
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
Lamentations is not a Book of the Bible we usually go to when we need comfort, as it is full of sorrow and pain. However, even during sorrow, God’s love still reigns throughout. As the passage above says, because of the Lord’s great love for us, we are never consumed, His compassions never fail as they are new every morning, and His faithfulness is great. Therefore, even if we are going through a dark period leading up to the start of the New Year, we can have hope because the Lord’s compassion never fails.
The Lord loves us beyond words, and there is no reason to doubt His support for us in the upcoming year. Rely on the promise that His compassions are new every morning. His faithfulness is great, which means He will always be faithful to us, even when we are not faithful to Him (2 Timothy 2:13). There might be times when we doubt Him or question His goodness. Yet, He will continue to pour out His love and kindness into our lives because He loves us unconditionally (Romans 8:37-39).
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5. 1 Peter 5:10
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10).
The Apostle Peter helps us to prepare our hearts for the New Year by telling us that God Himself will restore us and make us strong, firm, and steadfast. This can give us hope, even as we enter the New Year with a heavy heart. You have already had your time of suffering; therefore, now is the time when God will make you strong, firm, and steadfast. What the Lord has said will come into being (Isaiah 55:11).
We also need to notice that in the first half of this passage, Peter tells us that God is the God of all grace, and He has called us to eternal glory in Christ. Focusing on this truth can help us prepare for the New Year. It helps us to know that, in the end, we will be with the Lord in Heaven. Maybe this upcoming year will not be as good as we hope; however, we have the promise that eternity will be perfect (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).
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Originally published Monday, 03 November 2025.
