New Mercies for a New Year - Your Nightly Prayer - January 2nd
New Mercies for a New Year
Your Nightly Prayer
by Rachel Wojo, Host of the Untangling Prayer podcast
TONIGHT'S SCRIPTURE
"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
SOMETHING TO PONDER
When your heart is broken, sometimes the way the world celebrates feels cruel. It can seem like everyone is talking about the new year or the new calendar with fresh possibilities. Everyone around you seems excited about resolutions and clean slates, while you're wondering how you'll survive another 365 days carrying the weight.
I know that feeling, Friend. I really do. January 2, 2020, marked one year since my daughter Taylor graduated to heaven after years of battling a progressive neurological condition. That first January after losing her was one of the hardest months of my life. I remember staring at the new calendar on my kitchen wall, seeing all those empty squares stretching ahead, and feeling physically sick. How could anything be "new" when my dear daughter was still gone?
The "new year, new you" messages felt like mockery. I didn't want a new me. I wanted my daughter back. I wanted the old normal, the old calendar that still had her in it. Social media was full of people posting their goals and fresh starts, and I could barely get through breakfast without crying.
But the hardest words I had to speak to my own heart came in quiet moments when I was alone with God: "I did not die when my daughter died. God has a plan for me." Those words felt like betrayal at first, like I was somehow leaving Taylor behind by continuing to live. How could I move forward when she couldn't?
Yet slowly, painfully, I began to understand what Lamentations 3:22-23 really means. Jeremiah wrote these verses in the middle of tremendous suffering. After watching Jerusalem fall, he stared in loss and devastation that destroyed the hearts of many. But it was from that place of deep pain that he wrote about God's mercies being new every morning.
New mercies don't erase what happened. They don't minimize your loss or diminish your pain. That first year, my "new mercy" wasn't excitement about the future. It was the simple truth that Taylor was no longer suffering. She was whole, healed, and home with Jesus. That became the mercy I could hold onto when I couldn't hold her anymore.
God's new mercies aren't about feeling better or moving on or having it all together. They're about having enough strength to face one more day. They're about finding one moment of peace amid chaos. They're about discovering that, though you didn't die when your world fell apart, God still has plans for you. As long as you are breathing, life has meaning.
I don’t know how you’re entering this new year. Maybe in the last year, you lost a person, a marriage, a job, a dream, or your health. Maybe you feel like everyone expects you to be excited about fresh starts when you're just trying to breathe. Maybe you're tired of pretending you're okay when you're not.
I’ve journeyed six years down the road of new mercies, and I believe that God's mercies being new every morning doesn't mean every morning feels new. Some mornings still feel heavy. Some days, the grief or disappointment or fear is just as raw as it was a year ago. But God's faithfulness is that He gives the new mercies for that particular pain every single day. He is faithful.
You don't have to be excited about this new year. You don't have to have it all figured out. You don't have to set goals or make resolutions or pretend you're starting fresh when you're still healing. All you need to do is wake up tomorrow and receive the mercy God has waiting for you for that day. I’m so thankful for a new day in the new year.
Will you pray with me?
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Heavenly Father,
This new year doesn't feel new to me. I'm still carrying the pain of the last year. I don't feel excited about fresh starts or new beginnings because the disappointments and losses are still lingering. But tonight, I'm asking You to help me believe in Your new mercies. My circumstances haven’t changed, but You are faithful. Help me wake up tomorrow and receive just enough mercy for that day. I don't need strength for all of 2026. I just need what you have for me today. Thank You that Your faithfulness doesn't depend on my feelings, my strength, or my ability to move forward. Thank You that even when I can't see the purpose in my pain, You have plans for me. Help me take one more day, one more step, trusting that Your mercies will be there when I wake.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. One Mercy from Today:
Think back over this day and identify one mercy God gave you. Maybe it was a moment when you didn't fall apart like you thought you would, a friend who texted at just the right time, or simply the strength to get through another day. That mercy was intentional, personal, and just for you.
2. Tomorrow is Not Today:
You don't have to figure out the whole year tonight. You don't have to know how you'll handle the hard dates coming up or how you'll navigate all the challenges ahead. All you need is to trust that tomorrow morning, God's mercies will be sufficient and waiting for you.
3. His Faithfulness Holds You:
Remember a time when God proved faithful even when you couldn't feel it? Maybe when you didn't think you could survive, but you did. His faithfulness then is the same faithfulness that will carry you through this new year, one day at a time.
Tonight, as you fall asleep, remember this: God's new mercies aren't about erasing your past or denying your pain. They're about giving you exactly what you need to face tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. His faithfulness never fails.
Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Thank you for joining us tonight. We hope this prayer has encouraged your heart. If you're learning to hold onto God's promises through difficult seasons, we invite you to check out Rachel's Praying the Promises of God Prayer Journal. This 52-week guided journal will help you discover and claim God's promises over every area of your life, especially when you can't see the way forward. You can find the link in the show notes. Until next time, remember, God's mercies are new every morning, and His faithfulness will carry you through this year, one day at a time.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Kara Gebhardt
If you enjoy Rachel’s prayers, you’ll appreciate the beautiful prayer card set, 31 Days of Prayers for the Heart. Enjoy and display Rachel Wojo's beautiful 31-day prayer card collection that includes A Morning Prayer, A Prayer for the Moment, and more! Easily place your favorite on display or transition through the set using one each day for a month. All cards securely rest in the display stand. This set includes 5x7 cards on sturdy 100 lb cardstock, beautiful, smooth professional print, and a handcrafted wooden display stand to hold all cards.
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