Goal For The New Year: Spend Time With God

Goal for the New Year: Spend Time with God

Q: The psalmists compare their desire for God to

• a. a rabbit running a race.
• b. a lion hunting prey.
• c. a deer longing for water.

January, the first month of the year, got its name from the Roman god Janus, who was considered the god of beginnings and endings. Statues of Janus show a god with two faces looking in opposite directions so he can see both forward and backward at the same time. What a fitting name for a month when people look both forward to a new year and backward to the year that’s past.

Do you look both forward and backward at the end of a year? You might look backward and think of all the things you did in the past year. And you might look forward and resolve to do some things better or to start new habits in the new year.

One goal you might have is to spend more time with God in the new year. If you’re reading this devotion, then you are spending time with God already. But you might resolve to spend extra time reading your Bible and praying in the coming year.

The psalmists said, “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.” More time with God is a good thing to desire, and you don’t even have to wait until January 1 to start. You can spend 10 minutes reading your Bible today. Start with the book of John and read about Jesus, or read a chapter a day from Judges and see how God used ordinary people to do his work. Spend more time talking to God, telling him about the things that are really important to you and asking for his help.

For You

Set a goal for yourself of what you will do to spend more time with God in the coming year. Write it on a note card and stick it on your mirror so you’ll remember it each day.

Answer: c

As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.   Psalm 42:1

(The Whole Story: Psalm 42:1-2)