For everything there is a season— that’s what your word teaches us, O God of all time and space, of all things visible and invisible, physical and spiritual. Because you are the Source of all things, we know that every activity under heaven has its time and place. And so we pray for the coming year:
- May goodness be born in 2024, and may all that causes evil and hurt and pain die off.
- Bless us in the seeds that we plant, and give us the perseverance to wait for your blessing, and be part of the harvest when it is ready.
- May killing cease, and may the months to come be a time of healing.
- Give us the strength to tear down the walls that divide individuals and nations, and to build bridges that connect and smooth the way for understanding.
- May this year bring far less weeping, and more laughter and joy— less grief and more cause for celebration.
- Help us in the days and months to come to gather together all those who have been separated by false prophets of hatred, and embrace those who work for justice.
- Even so, help us to turn away from those who cannot hear the message of unconditional love, or who prefer division over unity.
- Help us to seek you in the temple of our hearts, and to realize when the time for seeking has come to an end, for the Lord whom we seek has made a home within and among us.
- Give us the insight to know what to hold onto and what to let go of this year, when to tear ourselves away from useless things and toxic relationships, and when to mend the ties that aid us on our path to you.
- Give us the grace to listen more than we speak, to hear your voice in the silence, and to speak your word to those who need to hear it.
- May the time for hatred come to an end this year, that all may be love, and may wars cease and peace finally prevail upon the earth.
