The new year is quickly approaching, and with the genesis of a new year, it can cause many of us to have infringing feelings of fear over the new year. While many individuals feel excitement at the thought of the new year, many of us feel fear or anxiety.
If you’re having fear and anxiety over the new year, turn to God and trust Him. God tells us, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10).
Trusting God in the New Year
It is common to develop fear in the face of the unknown. At the end of each year, a new year comes into being. With the start of a new year, we can quickly become overwhelmed by all the new challenges that await us.
Many of us might be leaving home for the first time, starting a new relationship, or starting a new job. Each of these things can leave us feeling fearful of the future. Even though we may be scared of the future, we know we can always trust in God.
Over time, the phrase "trust in God" has been somewhat worn out. Instead of actually meaning these words, individuals say this phrase almost out of mindless habit.
It is important that when we say this phrase to others that we truly mean it, or it will come across as insincere. Not trusting God can leave us with the feeling that we have to do everything on our own. In other words, if we don’t trust in God, we will trust in ourselves.
As we can imagine, trusting in ourselves is never a smart move. We are but human beings, and we cannot do the things that God does. God is ultimately in control — we are not.
We make our daily decisions, yet our life remains in God’s hands. In the upcoming year, we need to be intentional to trust God with the new year.
If you are feeling hesitant, anxious, or fearful of the new year, give all your worries over to God. The Bible tells us, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). God cares about us, and He loves us dearly.
We can fully trust Him because He knows best. Bad things will happen to us throughout our lives, but God can work all of these bad things out for our good (Romans 8:28). With God, we are given safety, protection, and love. He loves us more than anyone could ever love us.
Despite our flaws, sin, and brokenness, God still loves us. This is why we can fully trust Him with the new year. He will never try to harm us or cause bad things to happen. Instead, He will consistently be helping us grow more in the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Through good times and hard times, God is continuing to work out His good purpose in our hearts. Even if this year may be full of challenges, God still remains by our side.
Many of us have had challenging years ever since the pandemic because our whole lives were flipped upside down while others lost loved ones, which radically changed their lives.
With these past events, it can be frightening to look ahead at a new year. We see many people looking ahead to the new year with a spirit of hope, yet we look to the new year with a weary soul.
If you can relate to this, know you’re not alone. We will be faced with new challenges this year, but we can choose to trust God despite the pain.
The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
As this passage of Scripture tells us, we need to trust in God and lean not on our own understanding. Many of us might be wondering how exactly one does this.
Finding Hope in the New Year
How we do this is by intentionally choosing to trust God despite what we see with our eyes. We can also trust in God by praying to Him and asking Him to guide our decisions this year.
When we neglect to go to God in prayer, we are leaning on our own understanding. By not praying to God, we are telling God that we don’t need Him. The truth is that we all need God, and we all need to talk with Him.
Through prayer, we will be able to pour out our hearts to God and tell Him all our troubles, and through reading His Word, we will be able to hear back from Him. When we are consistently praying and reading the Word, we will grow to become better at trusting God.
Through prayer and reading the Bible, we will learn more about God’s nature and His heart. In the Bible, God has proven Himself to be fully trustworthy and faithful. In addition to proving Himself trusting and faithful in the Bible, we have also seen this in our own lives.
Think back over the course of your life and see where God has proven Himself worthy of your trust. He is amazing and faithful even when we are not faithful to Him.
God’s love for us is not gauged on what we do but rather on the inherent love He has for us. As His beautiful creation, God loves us unconditionally. Because of the great love, He has for us, He would never do anything to harm us, nor would He cause us problems.
At the moment of salvation, we become part of the family of God. As a member of the family of God, our place in God’s family will never be compromised. God is our loving Father, and we can trust Him.
Many of us have had earthly fathers who have failed us, yet God is our Heavenly Father, who will never fail us. He is completely worthy of our trust, and we can trust Him with whatever this new year brings. No matter what your worries and concerns are, give them over to God.
Bring them before Him in prayer and tell Him what you are worried about concerning the new year. God never thinks any of our worries or concerns are silly, as He knows the pain, fear, and anxiety that we experience in our hearts and minds.
God wants to silence the pain, fear, and anxiety in our hearts and minds because He loves us. We can allow God to do this by trusting Him with the new year.
In addition to talking with God in prayer about the new year, you can also talk with trusted Christians about your worries and concerns. By telling them, they will be able to lift you up in prayer and point you back to the Lord.
They may even be able to give you some helpful advice from their own past experiences. Often, we are taught that we shouldn’t share our worries and fears, but this isn’t right. God wants us to come to Him with all of our troubles, and He also wants us to build strong bonds with our fellow believers.
Why Does This Matter?
Thus, you can trust God this new year because He is completely worthy of our trust. God has never failed you. He loves you, and He only wants the best for you.
Despite how daunting this new year may seem or appear on the surface, know that God is walking right beside you through every day, week, and month.
God will never leave your side, and He will never leave you alone. Even though we can’t see God with our eyes, He is there, and He is always covering us with His love. Trusting God with the new year will help you handle whatever happens this upcoming year.
For further reading:
How Should Christians Approach the New Year?
How Can I Have Hope for the New Year?
How Can We Completely Trust in God?
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/MyriamZilles
