Bible Verses About New Year

What does the Bible say about New Year?

I love December and January. In December we get to celebrate Christmas and after Christmas, we get to celebrate the New Year. Did you know that God changed the calendar just before He freed the Hebrews from Egypt? He made that month of deliverance the first month of the year!

Christian quotes about new year

“Let’s make one resolution this year: to anchor ourselves to God’s grace. “Chuck Swindoll

“Glory to God in highest heaven, who unto man His Son hath given; while angels sing with tender mirth, a glad new year to all the earth.” Martin Luther

“Of all persons the Christian should be best prepared for whatever the New Year brings. He has dealt with life at its source. In Christ he has disposed of a thousand enemies that other men must face alone and unprepared. He can face his tomorrow cheerful and unafraid because yesterday he turned his feet into the ways of peace and today he lives in God. The man who has made God his dwelling place will always have a safe habitation.” Aiden Wilson Tozer

“May you shine the light of Christ in the New Year.”

“Our hope is not in the new year…but in the One who makes all things new.”

“Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page.” Henry Ward Beecher

“Look not back on yesterday. So full of failure and regret; Look ahead and seek God’s way…All sin confessed you must forget.”

“Enter the coming year with renewed hope in the power of God to do through you what you cannot.” John MacArthur

“Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.” Jonathan Edwards

“New Year’s Day is a good time to fix one’s eyes on the only One who knows what the year is to hold.” Elisabeth Elliot

“We must bear in mind that mere resolutions to take more time for prayer and to conquer reluctance to pray will not prove lastingly effective unless there is a whole hearted and absolute surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ.”

What Does the Bible Say about New Year’s Celebration?

So, what about our New Year’s celebration on January 1? Is it okay to celebrate then? Why not? God gave the Jews certain festivals throughout the year so they could rest and celebrate God’s work in their lives. Why can’t we use the New Year holiday to do just that?  

Celebrating the New Year on January 1 may not be specifically Biblical, but it’s not unbiblical either. It’s how we celebrate that’s important. Is God honored in the celebration? Is there anything dishonoring God? Whether you head to church for an all-night prayer/praise/fun fest, to a friend’s house for a party, or opt for a quieter family celebration at home, remember to honor God and invite Him to bless the New Year.

The new year is optimal for reflection on the past year. How was your walk with God? Is there anything for which you need to repent? Do you need to make anything right with anybody? Do you need to forgive someone? Begin the new year with a clean slate so you can fully embrace the blessings to come.

1. Isaiah 43:18-19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

2. Colossians 2:16 “Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day.”

3. Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

4. Exodus 12:2 “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.”

5. 2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”

What does the Bible say about New Year’s resolutions?

A resolution is a firm decision to do (or not do) something. The Bible doesn’t specifically mention New Year’s resolutions but does talk about being careful before making a vow before God. It is better not to make a vow at all, than to make one and not keep it. (Ecclesiastes 5:5)

Keeping that in mind, making firm decisions to do something or to stop doing something can move us forward spiritually. For instance, we can resolve to read the Bible every day, or decide to stop grumbling. When making resolutions, we should look to Christ and what He would have us do, rather than at ourselves. We must admit our utter dependence on God.

Be realistic with your expectations! Think about what you can achieve – with God’s strength, but within the realm of reason. Spend time in prayer before making resolutions, and then pray over them throughout the year. Remember that resolutions should be for God’s glory – not yours!

Most people make resolutions like losing weight, exercising more, or quitting a bad habit. These are great goals, but don’t forget spiritual resolutions. These might include regularly reading Scripture, prayer, fasting, and attending church and Bible study. What about ways to reach the lost for Christ or ministry to the needy? Do you have besetting sins to leave behind – like “white lies,” vanity, gossip, irritability, or jealousy?

Write resolutions down where you will see them daily. You might include them in your prayer list, so you’re praying over them regularly and celebrating your victories.  Post them where you’ll see them frequently – like on a mirror, on your car dashboard, or over the kitchen sink. Partner with a friend or family member for accountability. You can check in with each other on progress and encourage each other not to give up.

6. Proverbs 21:5 “The plans of the diligent certainly lead to advantage, But everyone who is in a hurry certainly comes to poverty.”

7. Proverbs 13:16 “Every prudent person acts with knowledge, But a fool displays foolishness.”

8. Proverbs 20:25 “It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly only later to reconsider his vows.”

9. Ecclesiastes 5:5 “It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.”

10. 2 Chronicles 15:7 “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

11. Proverbs 15:22 “Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established.”

Look back on God’s faithfulness in the past year

How has God shown Himself faithful to you in the past year? How has He been your rock of strength, to steady you in these unprecedented times? Your New Year celebration should include testimonies of God’s faithfulness through the ups and downs of the previous year.

12. 1 Chronicles 16:11-12 “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. 12 Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.”

13. Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”

14. Psalm 103:2 “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds.”

15. Deuteronomy 6:12 ” make certain that you do not forget the LORD who rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves.”

16. Psalm 78:7 “that they should put their confidence in God, not forgetting His works, but keeping His commandments.”

17. Psalm 105:5 “Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth.”

18. Psalm 103:19-22 “The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all. 20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word!
21 Bless the Lord, all you His angels, You who serve Him, doing His will. 22 Bless the Lord, all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; Bless the Lord, my soul!”

19. Psalm 36:5 “Your lovingkindness, O LORD, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”

20. Psalm 40:10 “I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness.”

21. Psalm 89:8 “O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O LORD? You are entirely faithful.”

22. Deuteronomy 32:4 “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.”

Remember God’s blessings in the past year

“Count your blessings – name them one by one!” That old hymn is a wonderful reminder to give God our praise for the ways He blessed us in the previous year. So often we come to God with our requests, but spend little time thanking Him for the prayers He has answered, and the blessings He poured out over us without our even asking – such as every spiritual blessing!

As we give thanks for God’s blessings in the past year, our faith is increased for new blessings in the coming year. Remembering God’s provision helps us confront seemingly insurmountable problems. Instead of despairing, we have the confident expectation that the same God that carried us through hard times in the past can do exceedingly above anything we could ask or think.

23. Psalm 40:5 “Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done, and the plans You have for us–none can compare to You–if I would proclaim and declare of them, they are more than could be numbered.”

24. James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

25. Ephesians 1:3 “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.”

26. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

27. Psalm 34:1 “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.”

28. Psalm 68:19 “Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation.”

29. Exodus 18:10 “Jethro declared, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who has rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians.”

Forget the past

It’s easy to fixate on our mistakes and failures to the point that we get stuck there and fail to move forward. We obsess about what could have been or what we should have done. Satan is going to use every weapon he can to get you derailed, to get your focus off the prize. Don’t let him win! Leave those regrets and those difficult situations behind and reach forward to what lies ahead.

If there’s some apologizing you need to do, then do it, or some sins you need to confess, then confess them, and then…leave them behind! It’s time to press on!

30. Philippians 3:13-14 “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

31. Isaiah 43:25 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”

32. Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

33. 1 Corinthians 9:24 “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.”

34. Hebrews 8:12 “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

Reflect on your relationship with Christ in the past year

Use this time of new beginnings to reflect on your walk with Christ. Have you been moving forward spiritually? Or have you been stagnating…or even backsliding a little? How can you move forward in a deeper walk and greater spiritual victories?

God has promised direct and consistent blessings when we meditate on and follow His Word, spend quality time in prayer, and faithfully assemble with other believers in the church. How are you doing in these areas?

What are you expecting God to do for you and through you for others? Are you limiting your expectations?

What about your family’s walk? How are you encouraging your spouse and children to grow deeper in their faith and incorporate their faith into their everyday life?

What are some time wasters that are distracting you from God?

What are you doing…specifically…to fulfill the Great Commission to go into all the world and make disciples? (Matthew 28:19) Are you measuring up to what God has ordained for all believers?

35. Psalm 26:2 “Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.”

36. James 1:23-25 “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

37. Lamentations 3:40 “Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.”

38. 1 John 1:8 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

39. Revelation 2:4 “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

40. John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

41. Jeremiah 18:15 “Yet my people have forgotten me; they burn incense to worthless idols, which made them stumble in their ways, in the ancient paths. They made them walk in byways, on roads not built up.”

My hope this year is that you realize your identity in Christ

Do you realize who you are in Christ? As the New Year dawns, explore your identity in Christ and how that affects the way you operate. Ask God to empower you to live your life as He intends. Who does Christ say you are? You are a child of God. You are one spirit with God. You are a chosen race.

42. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

43. 1 John 3:1 “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God.”

44. 1 Corinthians 6:17 “But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”

45. 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

46. Ezekiel 36:26 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

47. Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Giving thanks for the New Year

God blesses us with things that are pleasant, agreeable, and good. He gives us what is best, and He showers us with His favor. Our paths drip with abundance – God is our God of more than enough! As we enter the new year, let’s thanks and praise to God, knowing that He will provide for our needs and the desires of our heart with super-abundance.

48. Psalm 71:23 “My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to you; and my soul, which you have redeemed.”

49. Psalm 104:33 “I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.”

50. Isaiah 38:20 “The LORD will save me; we will play songs on stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the house of the LORD.”

51. Psalm 65:11 “You have crowned the year with Your bounty, And Your paths drip with fatness.”

52. Psalm 103:4 “Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies.”

53. Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Pray without ceasing this year

What better way to ring in the New Year than with prayer? Many churches and families have a night of prayer and praise on New Year’s Eve and/or a prayer meeting every evening for the first week of January. Each night (or each hour of the night if a full night of prayer) can focus on different aspects, such as praise and thanksgiving, repentance and restoration, seeking guidance, prayer for the nation, the church, and asking for personal blessing.

54. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

55. Ephesians 6:18 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

56. Luke 18:1 “Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart.”

57. Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”

58. Mark 11:24 “So I tell you to ask for what you want in prayer. And if you believe that you have received those things, then they will be yours.”

59. Colossians 4:2 “Never give up praying. And when you pray, keep alert and be thankful.”

60. Luke 21:36 “So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

God is with you

As we enter the New Year, we should seek a deeper awareness of God’s presence with us. If we live life knowing He is right there, that impacts our peace and joy. We may know this intellectually, but we need to experience a deep knowing that captures our soul and spirit. When we are consciously walking with God, we grow in our prayer life, our worship, and our intimacy with God.

When we are abiding in Christ and He is abiding in us, it changes everything. We are more fruitful, our joy is made full, and our prayers are answered. (John 15:1-11). We see life differently. We know we’re never alone, even when passing through sorrows. His presence enlightens our path when we don’t know what to do or where to go.  

61. Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will continue to perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

62. Isaiah 46:4 “Even to your old age, I will be the same, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you and deliver you.”

63. Psalm 71:18 “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, until I proclaim Your power to the next generation, Your might to all who are to come.”

64. Psalm 71:9 “And now, in my old age, don’t set me aside. Don’t abandon me when my strength is failing.”

65. Psalm 138:8 “The LORD will fulfill His purpose in me. O LORD, Your loving devotion endures forever–do not abandon the works of Your hands.”

66. Psalm 16:11 “In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

67. Psalm 121:3 “He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber.”

God’s mercies are new every morning

What a beautiful passage to claim and remember! In every morning of the new year, God’s mercies are new! His love is steadfast and never-ending! When we seek Him and wait for Him, we have hope in His goodness toward us.

This passage was written by Jeremiah the prophet, while weeping over the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem. And yet, amid sorrow and calamity, he held on to God’s mercies – renewed every morning. He regained his footing as he meditated on the goodness of God.

When we have a right perspective of who God is – when we are convinced of His goodness – this changes our heart, regardless of what we’re going through. Our joy and contentment are not found in circumstances, but in our relationship with Him.

68. Lamentations 3:22-25 “The Lord’s lovingkindness indeed never ceases, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I have hope in Him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.”

69. Isaiah 63:7 “I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done for Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.”

70. Ephesians 2:4 “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy.”

71. Daniel 9:4 “I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments.”

72. Psalm 106:1 “Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”

Conclusion

Let’s approach the New Year with reflection of where we are with God and with others, and where we want to be. Make things right with God and with the people in your life. Prayerfully consider your goals for the coming year.

And then, ring in the New Year with joyful celebration! Rejoice in the blessings of the past year and the abundance God will pour out in the year to come. Exult in God’s faithfulness, celebrate who you are in Him, be joyful in His continued presence and in His mercies that are new every morning. Commit your New Year to Him and walk in victory and blessing.