Another year is dawning: Dear Father let it be,
In working or in waiting, Another year with Thee;
Another year of progress, Another year of praise,
Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.
Another year of mercies, Of faithfulness and grace;
Another year of gladness In the shining of Thy face;
Another year of leaning Upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of trusting, Of quiet happy rest.
Another year of service, Of witness for Thy love;
Another year of training for holier work above.
Another year is dawning: Dear Father let it be,
On earth or else in heaven, Another year for Thee.
Amen.
– Francis Ridley Havergal
This is my favorite hymn to pray at the beginning of the new year. There’s so many new possibilities each year, so many doors that the Lord will open for us – and we need His grace and strength to walk through them.
One way that I’ve found is really helpful to grow each year is to read uplifting books that stretch and grow me. God can use them to change your life and He often has for me. (Reading our Bible every day is also really important and vital to our walk with Him and if you don’t, I would highly encourage you to make it a priority in your life. God’s Word is powerful and it will affect every area in your life!! Sometimes it can be hard to find the time to do it, but if you do, you will not regret it.)
If you could also find the time to read a book every month, that’s 12 at the end of the year and a lot encouragement! The 12 books below are ones that I would recommend reading if you have not found some already!
Reading challenge for 2015
January – Stick to the Raft (Lamplighter Publishing) by Mrs. George Gladstone
February – Green Leaf in Drought by Isobel Kuhn, The amazing story of Arthur and Wilda Mathews, Missionaries to China
March – Praying Through the 100 Gateway Cities of the 10/40 Window by C. Peter Wagner, Stephen Peters & Mark Wilson
April – Joy: a Godly Woman’s Adornment by Lydia Brownback, This is a devotional type book
May – Evidence Not Seen: A Woman’s Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II by Darlene Deibler Rose
June – The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer, A Christian “Classic”
July – Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Dr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor, Not a Secret, something explained in the Bible but so many do not understand
August – Wresting Prayer by Eric & Leslie Ludy
September – Parables of the Cross by I. Lilias Trotter
October – The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom with Elizabeth & John Sherrill, Corrie Ten Boom’s Story through the Nazi Concentration Camps of World War II
November – Sit, Walk, Stand by Watchman Nee
December – The Dawning of Indestructible Joy by John Piper, A daily devotional for the Christmas Season
And another one that didn’t fit (!) – Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex & Brett Harris