This list gives you Scripture to read, pray and carry into the first day of a new year, whether you are full of plans or quietly dreading what lies ahead. The verses are grouped by the feelings people often bring to January 1: hope for the year ahead, honesty about the past, courage for the unknown, and a settled rest in God’s care. Each one points to the same steady truth, that the Lord who holds the old year also holds the new one.
Verses for Hope in the Year Ahead
New Year’s Day tends to carry a rush of expectation, and that expectation can be good. These verses anchor hope in God’s faithfulness rather than in resolutions or circumstances, which is a firmer place to stand when the calendar turns.
22 It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail. 23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23 (WEB)
Lamentations 3:22-23
Written in the middle of grief, these lines still find fresh mercy in each morning. Before you open a planner for the year, read them aloud and let each new day be a gift rather than a test you must pass.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the LORD, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11 (WEB)
Jeremiah 29:11
God spoke these words to exiles who had lost nearly everything, and they were meant to steady people facing an uncertain future. Write the verse on the first page of your journal and return to it whenever the year feels larger than you are.
So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12 (WEB)
Psalm 90:12
Moses asks God to teach us to count our days, which is a humbling prayer for a new year. Ask this of God each morning, and let it shape how you spend your time rather than simply how you feel about it.
Verses for Facing the Unknown
No one knows exactly what the coming months will hold, and fear about the unknown is one of the most common reasons people search for verses at this time. The passages below speak to courage and presence, reminding you that God does not leave you to face the unfamiliar alone.
Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9 (WEB)
Joshua 1:9
Joshua received this command as he stepped into a land he had never seen, without Moses beside him. When you feel unready for a new season, repeat the phrase “the Lord your God is with you” as you walk into your first ordinary task of the year.
Behold, I will do a new thing. It springs out now. Don’t you know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19 (WEB)
Isaiah 43:19
God announces that He is doing something new, even when His people cannot yet see it. Look for one small sign of new growth this week, a conversation, a habit or a kindness, and thank God for it as evidence that He is already at work.
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we won’t be afraid, though the earth changes, though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas…
Psalm 46:1-2 (WEB)
Psalm 46:1-2
The psalmist describes upheaval in the earth yet calls God a refuge close at hand. On a day when news or worry feels heavy, pause and say these verses slowly, letting your breathing slow to match the steady rhythm of the words.
Verses for Letting Go of the Past
A new year invites a fresh start, but many people carry regret, failure or old wounds across the threshold. These verses offer forgiveness and renewal, showing that a new beginning is possible because God is willing to make all things new.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (WEB)
2 Corinthians 5:17
Paul writes that anyone in Christ is a new creation, and the old has gone. If last year’s failures still feel like a weight, name one specific thing you are releasing to God today and tell Him you are trusting Him with it.
13 Brothers, I don’t regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do. Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14 (WEB)
Philippians 3:13-14
Paul says he forgets what lies behind and presses on toward the goal. Choose one habit of looking backward, such as rereading old mistakes, and deliberately replace it with a short prayer about what you hope to do next.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:11-12 (WEB)
Psalm 103:11-12
David measures God’s mercy by the vastness of the sky and the distance of the east from the west. Let these verses remind you that God’s forgiveness is wider than your memory of your own failures, and ask Him to help you receive it.
Verses for Resting in God’s Care
Beginning a year can bring a restless urge to prove yourself quickly. The verses here call you back to rest, trusting that God’s care does not depend on how productive you are in January.
33 But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.
Matthew 6:33-34 (WEB)
Matthew 6:33-34
Jesus tells His listeners not to worry about tomorrow because each day has enough trouble of its own. Try limiting your morning planning to today’s tasks and entrust the rest of the year to God in a single sentence of prayer.
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman guards it in vain. 2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to stay up late, eating the bread of toil; for he gives sleep to his loved ones.
Psalm 127:1-2 (WEB)
Psalm 127:1-2
The psalm says that unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Use these words to loosen your grip on the outcomes you cannot control, and let your first plans for the year become an offering rather than a burden.
28 “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 (WEB)
Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus invites the weary to come to Him and find rest for their souls. If the new year already feels exhausting, take a few quiet minutes with this passage and accept His invitation before you make any new commitments.
How to Use These Verses
Many people find it helpful to write two or three of these verses on a card and place it where they will see it on January 1, such as on the bathroom mirror, beside the coffee maker or in the front of a planner. Reading one verse each morning for the first week builds a rhythm that can continue long after the holiday has passed.
You might also read a verse aloud before opening your phone or calendar, then speak a short prayer that connects the passage to a specific task or worry. Returning to the same verse when the year gets difficult can be as meaningful as discovering something new, because familiar words often reveal fresh depth over time.
A Short Prayer for New Year’s Day
Lord, as this new year begins, I bring You the hopes I am carrying and the fears I would rather not name. Thank You that Your mercies are new every morning and that You have not stopped working in my life. Teach me to number my days wisely, to rest in Your care, and to trust You with what I cannot yet see. Help me take the next step in front of me today and leave the rest in Your hands. Amen.
