I’m not a resolution person, never have been. And honestly, though I like starting things new, I know myself and I know I can get all excited and gun-ho about something because it’s new, like starting something new at the beginning of the year. And then within a couple of months, sometimes weeks, it’s fallen off my radar, and I don’t even remember what the fun thing was that I started. Am I the only one who does that?
So this year I thought, I’m not going to go start all these great new things because it’s the beginning of a new year. I want to seek the Lord, and truly have Him show me what He has for me this new year. One of the things I feel He laid on my heart is a word and verse for the year. I use to do this long before I ever started blogging. My pastor’s wife from my old church back in Illinois encouraged us to pray and seek the Lord for a verse for the year. And usually with that verse a word or theme would come out too.
I haven’t done that for a year or so, and actually I forgot all about it. Until I was reading in my bible the other day and I saw the word and verses the Lord had given me back in 2011. That’s when I felt the Lord prompting my heart and gave me a word and I think verses. I say ‘think’ because honestly I was trying to find something that had the word He gave me in the verse, but I can’t find it. And when I look He keeps bringing back to the original verses when He first laid it on my heart.
So what is my word and verses?
Passion
As the dear pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Psalms 42:1-2a
I know that I haven’t had the passion for the Lord like I use to, my walk with Him has become more obligatory than passionate. It’s kind of like a marriage. There’s so much passion at the beginning of a marriage, and then as the years go on, you can loose that passion if you are not intentional about keeping it in your marriage. Well I haven’t been intentional about keeping a passion for the Lord in my relationship with Him. And this year I feel like He really wants to work with me on that.
It’s something I’m looking forward to because honestly I’ve not liked the lack luster way I’ve been feeling in my walk with Him. And I really don’t like how easily I became accustomed to that feeling. So I’m praying that this year my passion for Him will grow. That I will thirst and hunger after Him in a way that I never have.
I thought it was interesting that a few days after the Lord laid this on my heart a friend of mine and I were talking about a woman’s bible study that was getting ready to start at our old church. I was trying to decide if I wanted to go to it and I asked her what the study was about. It’s about thirsting after the Lord for more intimacy! That’s actually how they explain the book, thirsting after the Lord. Yep, I think I’m suppose to go to this study whenever our schedule allows it. 😀
11 thoughts on “A new year”
It looks like you have found the best resolution one could have for the new year. That is wonderful how that all worked out and with the LORD’s promptings and the up-coming Bible Study. Wishing you a renewed passion for Him this new year dear JoAnn. Blessings to You & Yours!
oh wow, awesome thoughts. I know what your saying. I picked up on the time last year you shared with me about a word for the year. Last year it was “whisper”. That still small voice. This year its “listening”. I didn’t always listen for the still small voice. And also when God was telling me something I was usually so busy with other things I didn’t really listen. But the main reason I believe for listening is that when I pray I do all the talking and when I should be listening I look at the clock and think “oh sorry Lord I have to get going”. I’m not good at listening. So I’ll pray for you if you pray for me. I know God is speaking to both of us. And let me know the exact title of the study and who it is by that your old church is doing. Sounds like a great one, and certainly He directed you to it. Have a blessed day hon love
Sounds like a great way to focus your energies this year.
Sounds like a wonderful resolution and I like your analogy between marriage and our relationship with Christ. I haven’t heard about having a verse for the year, great idea. Hope your back to school is going well and everyone is healthy again. Heather
Wow, Joann, sounds like the Lord is speaking the same kind of things to both of us. I pray you will have a wonderful year of renewal in Him that will affect every area of your life. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, ED is the emergency department. They use that term here rather than ER and it has become normal to me… 🙂
I like your “resolutions”. I’ve been reading Exodus 6 today, and it just hits me as so amazing the God spoke to Moses face to face and the story of the Exodus is so powerful…
No, you are not the only one who feels New Years resolutions are “useless.” I gave those up a long time ago too. Just like you, I would get excited for awhile, but then after that, my passion for the new thing began to fade.
I’m also, for this year, striving to be closer to the Lord. I know that my relationship with Him hasn’t been very “up to par” either, and it’s not something I’m proud of. I’m learning to express my heart to Him more in my prayer journal – just simply being honest with Him about everything. It’s not always easy, but afterwards, I usually feel a sense of calm (unless I’m just “ranting”). 🙂
I like your idea about praying for a verse to focus upon for the year. Maybe I’ll do that too, but I’ll seek the Lord about it first.
This was a great post! I enjoyed reading it. Thank you for sharing it. 🙂
Yes, I’ve been struggling with that feeling as well. Thank you for the inspiration! I hope you will blog this occasionally over the year.
I like your blog JoAnn. I feel the same way as you about not connecting with the Lord the way I used to. He seems so far away sometimes. But I do keep on keeping on. I like your word and verses too. On the same vein I love Psalm 63 which begins, “Oh God you are my God, for you I long, for you my sould is thirsting, my body pines for you like a dry weary land without water…..” the whole psalm is wonderful and it usually helps me to say it. love, Auntie Ella
Sorry, didn’t mean to put a “d” on the end of soul. haha
That sounds like a perfect bible study this year. I pray that and I know he will give you this desire of your heart. I too need to be praying the same prayer. Thank you for being so open and encouraging in your post. I needed to hear this today.
Blessings and ((HUGS))
-Mary
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