As a new year begins, many of us carry lingering weight from the year behind us—regret, disappointment, grief, fear, or exhaustion. It can feel like life piles on more and more, making it hard to move forward without dragging the past along with us.

But Scripture gently calls us to a different posture: release, surrender, and trust. God invites us to stop replaying yesterday’s troubles and instead place them into His hands. We don’t have to carry what God never intended us to hold.

The Lord promises not only to sustain us but to do new things—making a way through wilderness places and bringing streams to dry and weary parts of life. A new year doesn’t mean everything is easy, but it does mean we can begin again—lighter—because we are held by a God who cares.

TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” — 1 Peter 5:7

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Dear Father,

Tonight, I come to You with everything I’ve carried from last year—the burdens, the stress, the pain, the regrets, and the disappointments. You tell me to cast my anxiety on You because You care for me, and I want to believe that truth with my whole heart.

Help me release what I’ve been holding too tightly. Strengthen me to trust You enough to let go and rest in Your care. Remind me that I don’t have to replay yesterday in my mind, because You are already present in tomorrow.

Open my heart to believe that You are making things new in my life. Free my heart and mind from the weight of what was, and help me receive Your will and Your peace for what is ahead.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

1. What am I still carrying?
   Is there a burden—grief, regret, fear, disappointment—that I’ve been holding onto because it makes me feel in control? What would it look like to surrender it to God tonight?

2. How does my body release stress?
   God created us with emotions and physical responses. What healthy outlet helps you let go—walking, journaling, worship music, stretching, cooking, praying aloud? Invite God into that release.

3. A surrender practice for the new year
   Write down the burdens you want to release to the Lord. Pray over them one by one. Then tear up the paper, burn it safely, or place it in a Bible or journal as a symbol of surrender—reminding yourself that what you’ve handed to God no longer belongs on your shoulders.

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