Happy. New. Year.

Happy New Year, friends!

We pray your next year is filled with adventure experienced, love widened, generosity increased, hope fulfilled, and an ever more present realization that the God of the universe loves you.

We know that each of us comes into a new year carrying different situations. Some of us are struggling to make it through this topsy-turvy economy. Some of us feel like we are standing on mountaintops, with good things going our way. Some of us are grieving loved ones who are no longer here, or navigating transitions to new states and seasons, leaving familiar faces behind.

No matter what situations each of us is individually going through, I want you to know that in Christ it can be a “happy - new - year!”

As we head into this - happy - new - year - I want to break down those three short words to help inspire us for the next season of our lives, and to live into the hope that is ours in Christ.

PAUSE for a moment. Sit still. Recognize your heartbeat and your breathing. Pour out words to God in thankfulness for the year now in the rearview mirror. Think about His unending faithfulness toward us, His unwavering grace for you, and His unconditional love for the world.

Finish this sentence out loud: God Almighty, I thank you because this past year…

Now PAUSE and read these verses through the lens of God’s unchanging Word for us, pondering afresh these three powerful words.

Happy.
Psalm 144:15 (KJV)
Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord.

Proverbs 16:20 (KJV)
He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.

Biblical happiness isn’t emotional hype. Happiness rooted in God Almighty is covenantal joy—joy rooted in belonging to God and trusting Him. In Christ, there is no condemnation against us; we are redeemed and are being made into the image of God’s Son. In whatever situation you face this January, or September, or December of 2026, may you be happy because God is our Lord—over life, death, and everything you might face.

Finish this sentence out loud: God Almighty, I am happy about 2025 or 2026 because…

New.
Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)
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.

Revelation 21:5 (NRSV)
And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

God is the God of new things - restoring from old, re-shaping, re-fashioning, and transforming into new things. You are baptized. You are daily anew in Christ. Something new is about to happen in your life. It is. It always is when God is present. New opportunities. New people around you. New places on the horizon. New chances to receive God’s grace. New. And the ultimate new thing is fast approaching—Jesus coming back to make all things new.

Finish this sentence out loud: God Almighty, this next year, the new things I hope you do in my life are…

Year.
Psalm 65:11 (NIV)
You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.

Deuteronomy 11:12 (NIV)
It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.

A year isn’t just time passing—it’s time watched over by God. Time itself was set in motion by Him for humanity. It is crowned and cared for by God Himself. Your life is timed. It has a beginning and an end. How will you use the time in this next year ahead?

Finish this sentence out loud: God Almighty, at the end of this next year, may it be so that…

Three simple yet beautifully relevant words for 2026—Happy. New. Year.

May the God who raised Jesus from the dead place meaning and His good news deep in our hearts and boldly on our lips this happy new year ahead.

Happy New Year!