The first time I prayed over the New Year

I think it was the end of 2007 or 2008 when my friend, Lisa Lovette, told me she was going to spend New Year’s morning fasting and praying over the old year and dedicating the new year to the Lord. She suggested I might want to do the same. I had never heard of that and I was really bad at fasting but it was just 1 meal and I liked the idea of spending a morning alone with God. I gave it a try knowing she would be at her house doing the same.  

New Year’s Eve came and our family attended a party in the neighborhood and my son (probably 9 at the time) invited some boys from the party to sleep over downstairs where they stayed up all night watching Star Wars movies. My husband fell asleep downstairs with the boys and sometime during the night, my 6-year-old daughter crawled into the bed with me. When I woke up early New Year’s morning, I knew better than to go downstairs or make too much noise and arouse the whole crew.

I sat in the bed and began to pray. As I prayed over the past year, I remember the Holy Spirit led me to confession and repentance. I asked God to cleanse my heart so I wouldn’t take those sinful and debilitating mindsets and behaviors into the new year. I don’t even remember what they were but I do remember feeling an incredible sense of freedom. I specifically told the Lord that if that was all I got out of the morning, I had received more than I could have asked or imagined.

But that was just the beginning.

I then prayed about the year ahead…what God wanted me to put my time and energy toward… did He have a word for me… was there something specific I needed to know… A bird suddenly began to call very loudly from outside the window behind my head. I remember thinking how odd it was as our lot was clear cut so there was no tree for him to perch in and call like that. Yet, I sensed the Lord telling me I was to teach His Word clearly like that bird call.

Immediately I began to tell myself this was my imagination. I was reading into things. I quieted myself and again asked the Lord if He wanted to speak to me. The bird called again. This time so loudly that my daughter sat straight up out of a dead sleep, looked at me and cried, “That bird woke me up!” She then laid back down quietly and left me to my praying.

That is when I heard the Spirit of God say, “You will proclaim my Word to sleeping spirits and they will awaken.” There was no question; I knew I had heard from God. A funny little story to add to this… Our Bible study had been watching Beth Moore videos around this time and I had a vision of sorts of me in leather pants. Don’t laugh but Beth Moore wore a lot of leather pants in her videos back then and I took this to mean that I would proclaim His Word on a stage not just in personal conversations. The problem with all of this was that I wasn’t being asked to teach God’s Word. I then remembered hearing Joyce Meyer say she was making a bed when God told her she would preach around the world. She said at the time no one had invited her to preach to them…not even to their cat or dog! So, I prepared my heart to begin a teaching ministry.

There is more to the story, but by fall of 2009 I had become the teaching director for our local Community Bible Study (CBS) class. I was the only woman I knew in my little town who was teaching the Word of God 30 weeks of the year. I also went on to speak at some Princess Warriors Ministry conferences as the speaker that kicked off the conferences by sharing the gospel. The ministry always gave an opportunity for women to come forward and receive Christ after I spoke.

I still get teary when I think about all of this because I really was just a housewife working part-time at my kid’s school and co-leading a neighborhood Bible study. There was nothing special about me. It felt as if God just looked around and said, “I think I’ll pick that one” and put His hand on me. But I know from scripture that it doesn’t work that way. God’s Word clearly says that we are His workmanship created to do good works which He prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10). All of this was part of God’s plan. He had just graciously given me a glimpse of it that New Year’s morning.

I have made this an annual practice ever since. I know now that that there are guided New Year’s retreats offered all over the country. Yet I wasn’t aware of any in my area. So, I now invite others to join me. People first wonder “How on earth does anyone pray that long?” But when they do the retreat hey can’t believe how quickly the time goes by.

This year, I am offering the retreat on Monday, Jan. 2nd instead of Sunday , Jan. 1st for 2 reasons: 1) New Year’s Day lands on a Sunday and as an Anglican I like the idea that every Sunday is a mini-Easter hence it’s a day of celebration, not fasting. 2) My hope is that people will be attending church on Sunday.

 You may be wondering if I have such profound prayer experiences every year. The answer is no, not always. Still, I believe that God is worth the first fruits of my time and focus every year and I look forward to this time with Him.

If you would like to join the retreat this year, there are 2 opportunities. One in person and another over zoom. There are limited spaces for the in person option so please RSVP soon.

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.

-       Isaiah 43:19