Happy New Year, Friends! (Cue the fireworks and confetti!)

As we enter 2023, I’ve been thinking about you. I wonder what you’re hoping for this year. What are your dreams and desires? What are your fears or anxieties as you begin a new year? 

Rather than my regular devotional blog post, I thought I would offer you a prayer of blessing for the New Year. It is a prayer based on various scriptures. 

In this coming year, may your roots sink down more deeply into the love of Christ. May you know how high and deep and wide His unfailing love is for you. I pray that you will be amazed and astonished by wonder after wonder of the LORD’s goodness and grace. I pray that the Holy Spirit will grant you wisdom so that whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” I pray that He will send you rain for the seed you plant so that your life will flourish in fruitfulness. I pray that you would know the presence and peace of Immanuel and that, as a result, you would live with internal quietness and confidence. May you trust God completely and enjoy Him fully. I pray that you would continually drink from the well of deep joy He offers and that others would be drawn to the joy that is evidenced in your life. May peace rule in your heart as you lean into the Prince of Peace, and may you calmly navigate every decision you make this year. May love flow out of your life and into every one of your relationships. May others experience Christ through you. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly more than all you can ask or imagine, be all the glory, honor, and praise! 

(Based on Ephesians 3:17-18, Isaiah 29:9,14, Isaiah 30:21, 23, Isaiah 7:14, Proverbs 3:5-6, Isaiah 12:3, Colossians 3:15, and Ephesians 3:20-21).

This week on The Connected Mom Podcast we’re talking with author Grace Fox about cultivating a culture of hope in your home.