Almighty God and Father,
Creator of the heavens and the earth, and the Ruler of the nations. Be pleased to hear this prayer this first morning of the new year.
Thank you for this day, for your gift of life, and for a new year. May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in our lives this year as you have purposed it in heaven.
Be pleased to grant us forgiveness for our sins of the previous year, and grant us wisdom to learn from our failings to better serve you and those around us in the future.
Be pleased to bless our families, our relatives, and our friends with good health and reasonable prosperity to have their needs supplied.
Out of Your abundant grace bring them to a greater knowledge of Your truth. Be pleased to be merciful even to our enemies, for in many ways being human, we are no better than they.
Be pleased to bless and to protect our nation with peace, prosperity, and a renewed reverence for You, and with gratitude for Your lovingkindness which is new each morning.
Grant our elected officials wisdom and self-restraint to govern this nation for the good of the people and for future generations. May they learn to become leaders with a high degree of integrity and respect for the positions they hold, for they will give an account to You for the privilege You’ve granted them.
Please bless those of our armed forces with protection, guidance and valor in this year ahead. Grant wisdom and protection to all our first responders and May You grant us peace and order within our cities.
Thank you for Your many blessings that sometimes go unnoticed, and in Your great mercy, may Your blessings fall upon us and overwhelm us in Your love.
Grant that we as a nation would be wiser stewards of the resources You’ve allotted us, and may we live with a higher degree of integrity and gratitude for being made in Your image and likeness in this year ahead. Amen -JSP
* Featured image by JSPJOURNAL.COM