I wrote this devotion in January, but God told me to wait until now to post it.

 

Guiding Bible Verse:

“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert,” (Isaiah 43:19 KJV).

 

Do you make new year’s resolutions? If so, do they last throughout the year, or do they die out by the first week or even the first month of the year?

I used to make new year’s resolutions when I was in high school, on the fly when teachers would ask me about them. I discovered that new year’s resolutions didn’t work, because I forgot about them before the year got good and started. This would be a week, or even a month into the new year. This is why I stopped making them altogether.

Yet God showed me a new way to work my way through the year without having to be stressed over whether I kept my promise to fulfill the unachievable goal I set for myself in a given year. This concept is called the word of the year. God started giving me a word or two for the year a few years ago.

I don’t remember right off hand what each year’s word was, except for 2025, but they each had a significant meaning in God’s plan for my life and opened the door for a closer bond with God and a guidance I wouldn’t have gotten if I tried to choose the word on my own.

For 2026, my year is opportunity, which is connected to the guiding Bible verse above and several other verses in the Bible, such as Ephesians 5:15–16, which reads in the KJV: “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

What opportunities does God have in store for me? I’m not sure, but I’m eager to find out.

 

Creative challenge

If you haven’t done so already, I invite you to grab your Bible, a journal or notebook, and your favorite writing tool.

Once you have these items, sit down in a quiet place where you can pray and reflect on what God tells you. Prayerfully ask him to give you the word of the year He has chosen for you, and the scripture verse(s) that go along with it. Write His answers in your journal or notebook.

 

Journal Reflection prompt

What word did God choose for you in 2026? Did He give you one word or two? What does this word or set of words mean for you and your walk with God through the chapters of your life?

 

Call to Action

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