The calendar has turned again. New numbers. New planners. New hopes. And maybe a few old fears are tagging along behind them. Some of us arrive at 2026 energized, eager to build, create, and press forward. Others arrive weary, limping across the threshold, unsure how much strength we have left to give. Most of us arrive somewhere in between.
So before we rush into resolutions, goals, or carefully curated visions of a “better year,” let me offer some words of encouragement, rooted not in optimism, but in hope. Not the thin hope that says things will probably work out, but the thick, resilient hope that has learned to trust God even when they don’t.
God is Not in a Hurry
One of the quiet lies we absorb is that urgency can equal faithfulness. That if we are not producing, achieving, or fixing something quickly, we must be failing. But Scripture consistently reveals a God who works slowly, patiently, and deeply.
Jesus spent thirty years largely unnoticed before three years of public ministry. Seeds are planted underground long before they break the surface. Transformation happens in hidden places – hearts, habits, minds – often long before outcomes can be measured (if at all).
As we step into this new year, remember this: God is not behind schedule. We are not late. We are not failing because the work feels unfinished.
Grace does not rush; it forms.
Faithfulness’s Long Obedience
The kingdom of God rarely announces itself with spectacle. More often, it whispers. It looks like ordinary obedience – showing up, loving people who are hard to love, forgiving when it costs us something, telling the truth when silence would be easier.
Faithfulness is profoundly countercultural in a world addicted to novelty and speed. Yet Jesus never calls his followers to be impressive. He calls them to be faithful.
In 2026, may you not feel called to do more. May you, instead, feel called to do more right things – again and again. That counts. That matters. That is kingdom work.
Jesus Still Sets the Agenda
One of the great temptations of every new year is to baptize our plans and ask Jesus to bless them. But discipleship has always meant something more disruptive (and more freeing) than that.
Jesus does not simply improve our lives; he reorients them.
He invites us into a way of being human that runs counter to the anxious striving of the age. He calls us away from vengeance and toward forgiveness, away from accumulation and toward generosity, away from fear and toward trust.
As you discern the shape of 2026, ask not only “What do I want this year to look like?” but also, “What kind of person am I becoming?” Because formation, not productivity, is the true measure of a life with God.
You Are Not Alone
If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that isolation erodes the soul. We were not made to carry burdens alone, discern alone, or suffer alone. The Christian life has always been communal – people walking together, sometimes slowly, sometimes clumsily, always dependent on grace.
If you’re weary, name it.
If you’re carrying grief, don’t tuck it away.
If you’re unsure of what comes next, you’re not alone. God so often does his deepest work not in isolation, but in the shared space of our lives together. We need one another more than we know.
The Renewal of all Things
The Christian story is not one of escape from the world, but renewal within it. God’s promise has never been to discard creation, but to redeem it – to participate in healing what is broken and restore what has been lost.
That includes you and me, our relationships, and the places where we feel stuck, disappointed, or unsure. Transformation rarely looks the way we expect. It often comes disguised as patience, endurance, and hope that refuses to die.
So as 2026 unfolds – with all its unknowns, challenges, and hopes – hold fast to this: God is present. God is faithful. God is at work, even when we cannot yet see it.
A Pauline Prayer for the Year Ahead
May this ancient prayer of the Apostle Paul carry you into the year ahead…
16 May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, 18 be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; 19 and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself]. 20 Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:16-21, AMP)
Practical Theology Today 