What Is God Showing You as You Look Forward to a New Year?

An Advent Exposition of the Lord’s Prayer (ESV)

Advent places us in a sacred tension between what has been and what is coming. As the year draws to a close, many of us feel the pull to plan, resolve, and prepare. Jesus offers us a prayer that slows us down, centers us, and teaches us how to wait with God.

The Lord’s Prayer is not rushed. It’s relational. It’s formative. And in Advent, at the cusp of a new year, it becomes a guide for how to look forward without losing our footing in the present.

Pray it slowly and listen for what God shows us.

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”

Advent begins with recognition.

Before we ask for anything, Jesus teaches us to remember who God is. He is Father, both near and personal, yet holy, set apart, worthy of reverence.

As a new year approaches, this line simply asks:

Have I let God be God or have I tried to shrink Him to fit my expectations?

To hallow God’s name is to realign our vision. It is to say, “You are already holy, and I want my life to reflect that truth.”
Advent trains our hearts to begin here with awe, not anxiety.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

This is the prayer of Advent longing.

Israel waited centuries for the Messiah. We continue to wait for healing, justice, restoration, and Christ’s return. When we pray this line, we are not asking God to endorse our plans for the new year. We are surrendering to His.

This petition asks us:

What am I holding too tightly?
Where do I need to yield my will to God’s?

Looking forward spiritually is less about control and more about trust. Advent reminds us that God’s kingdom often arrives quietly, like a child in a manger, yet it changes everything.

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

Advent teaches us to live in the present while hoping for the future.

Daily bread is not about abundance; it is about dependence. As one year ends and another begins, we may feel tempted to stockpile certainty. Jesus invites us instead to receive grace one day at a time.

This prayer asks:

What do I actually need right now?
Can I trust God for today before worrying about tomorrow?

Waiting does not mean inactivity. It means learning to receive what God is already providing today.

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Advent is a season of clearing space.

Just as we prepare our homes for Christmas, God invites us to prepare our hearts. Forgiveness is not a side note; it is central to spiritual readiness.

As the year closes, this line gently confronts us:

What do I need to release?
Where has bitterness taken up residence?

Forgiveness is not about forgetting. It’s about trusting God with justice and choosing freedom. Advent reminds us that Christ comes not only to forgive us, but to transform how we love others. It’s in forgiveness that we find freedom.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

This is a prayer for the road ahead.

Jesus does not tell us the future will be easy. He knows we will need guidance and protection. As we look toward a new year, this petition grounds us in humility.

We are not self-sufficient. We are not immune to temptation. And we are not abandoned.

Advent strengthens our awareness that God walks with us—into the unknown, through the dark, and toward the light.

Praying Forward, Advent-Style

The Lord’s Prayer does not rush us into the future. It roots us in relationship, dependence, surrender, and hope.

As you look toward a new year, Advent invites you to pray not for clarity alone, but for attentiveness. Not just for answers, but for trust.

So before you plan, pause.
Before you resolve, pray.
Before you move forward, listen.

What is God showing you as you wait?

Perhaps the answer is already forming—quietly, faithfully—just beneath the surface.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬