Before We Step Into What's Next

D E V O T I O N A L

The house felt different last night.

Not loud. Not busy. Just still. The kind of stillness that only shows up when a year is finally ready to exhale. I stood there for a moment, phone face down, lights dim, letting the weight of the past twelve months settle where it needed to.

This year carried a lot.

Some moments I will always be grateful for. Some I am still trying to understand. Some I wish I could redo.

And as the clock moves closer to midnight, I realized something important. God does not rush us out of one year and into the next. He meets us right here, in the in between.

We live in a world that tells us to wrap things up neatly. To summarize the year. To label it a success or a failure. To make promises about who we will be tomorrow. But God does not ask us to have it all figured out before we move forward.

He simply asks us to bring what we are carrying and trust Him with it.

Scripture reminds us, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning." Lamentations 3:22–23

That includes tomorrow. That includes the parts of this year you are proud of and the parts you are still healing from.

Before we step into what is next, it is okay to pause.

To thank God for the moments that held joy. To release the moments that held pain. To admit there are things we still do not understand.

God is not waiting on a better version of you to enter the new year. He is walking with the one standing here right now. The one who made it through. The one who stayed. The one who is still hoping, even if quietly.

You do not need a perfect plan for what comes next. You only need His presence. And He has already promised that.

Much Love & Blessings,

Ramzi

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Family Corner

If this year left you tired or tender, let yourself acknowledge it. Gratitude and grief can exist in the same space. God is not confused by that. You do not have to summarize this year into a single feeling. It can be both beautiful and hard. Both growth and struggle. God sees all of it.

Relationship Insight

As the year closes, consider offering grace where conversations were left unfinished. Sometimes peace comes from releasing the need to resolve everything. Not every relationship needs a grand reconciliation before midnight. Some just need you to let go of what you cannot control and trust God with the rest.

Mental Health Minute

Resist the pressure to define the year as good or bad. Let it be what it was. God works through seasons, not summaries. Your year does not need a neat label or a single word to describe it. It was a collection of days where God was faithful. That is enough.

Financial Wisdom

If money was a source of stress this year, bring that honestly to God tonight. Ask Him to guide you with wisdom and peace in the year ahead. You do not need to have your entire financial future mapped out by January 1st. Just bring what you are carrying and ask for His help with the next step.

Physical Health

Your body carried you through everything this year held. Rest tonight knowing that survival is not weakness. It is strength sustained by grace. Thank your body for showing up every day, even on the days when it felt hard. Honor it with rest as you cross into the new year.

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"God is not waiting on a perfect version of you. He is walking with the one standing here right now."

Lord,

As this year comes to a close, I place it in Your hands. Every joy. Every loss. Every unanswered question.

Thank You for walking with me through all of it. For staying close when things were heavy and for giving strength when I did not know where it came from.

As I step into what is next, help me do so with open hands. Not carrying shame. Not driven by pressure. But trusting that You are already there.

Walk with me into the new year. That is all I ask.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Download this month's computer wallpaper and let this truth accompany you throughout January.

I also wanted to share something new I created for moments when your soul needs stillness. I recently made a one hour quiet time video on YouTube designed to be played softly in the background as you spend time with God.

You can play it on your TV, computer, or phone while you read Scripture, pray, journal, reset from anxiety, or even as you fall asleep. There is no talking. Just calm, peaceful space to breathe and be still before Him.

If you are needing a gentle companion for quiet moments, you can visit my YouTube page here:

VISIT MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@CoffeeWithMyFather

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