Memorize this one
Lamentations 3:22-23
22The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end, For His compassions do not fail. 23They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
Written from the ruins of Jerusalem: God’s mercies never run out. They are new every morning, so every new year starts with mercy.
Say it from the first letters, then from memory. Joy brings it back on the days you need it. Memorize Scripture in Joy
7 more verses about the new year
Isaiah 43:18-19
18“Do not call to mind the former things, Or consider things of the past. 19“Behold, I am going to do something new, Now it will spring up; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.
God tells His people not to dwell on the past, because He is doing something new, even making a road through the wilderness.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
In Christ you are a new creation. A fresh start isn’t a resolution you keep. It’s a gift you receive.
Philippians 3:13-14
13Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul forgets what lies behind and presses on toward the goal. A way to look back on a year without getting stuck there.
Proverbs 16:9
The mind of a person plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
We plan our way, but the Lord directs our steps. Make plans for the year, and hold them with an open hand.
James 4:13-15
13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. 15Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”
A warning against confident plans that leave God out. Plan humbly, and say “If the Lord wills.”
Psalm 90:12
So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.
Moses asks God to teach us to number our days so we gain a heart of wisdom. A good prayer for January.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
Trust the Lord with all your heart and acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight.
A prayer to start with
Lord, thank You that Your mercies did not run out last year and will not run out this year. I bring You what is behind me, the good and the regret, and I let You have it. Teach me to number my days and to make plans that leave room for Your will. Make me new where I’m stuck, and direct my steps where I can’t see. Let this be a year I know You more. Amen.
A sample prayer in our words, not a Bible quotation. Pray it as it is or in your own.
Questions people ask
What is a good Bible verse for the new year?
Lamentations 3:22-23 is a favorite: God’s mercies are new every morning. Isaiah 43:19 and 2 Corinthians 5:17 also speak to new beginnings.
Does the Bible talk about New Year’s resolutions?
Not directly. Proverbs 16:9 and James 4:13-15 encourage making plans while trusting God to direct them, which is a healthy way to set goals.
How can I start the new year with God?
Pick one verse to memorize for January, set a daily time to read Scripture, and pray Psalm 90:12 over your calendar.