DAY OF PRAYER letter
January 2026
Setting our Hearts
Pastor Carrie Butler
Faithful Intercessors,
As we step into January together, we do so at a natural threshold – a moment to pause, to evaluate, and to reorient our hearts. A new year invites reflection not only on where we are going, but on where we have been and, most importantly, on who we are becoming in Christ.
In his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul reminds us that because we have been raised with Christ, our lives are now hidden with Him...
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:1-17, NIV
Our identity is no longer rooted in the old self or the stories of our past, but in the new life we have received through Jesus. As we look back on the year behind us and forward into the year ahead, this passage calls us to “set our hearts on things above,” allowing Christ to shape our thoughts and beliefs, the ways we spend our time, our actions and words, our relationships, and the practices that draw us closer to Him.
January is not simply about new habits or fresh resolve. It is about surrender and alignment. Paul invites us to lay aside what no longer reflects our life in Christ and to “clothe ourselves” with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love. These are not abstract ideals, but Spirit-formed ways of living that transform our homes, our church, and our witness in the world.
As a church, we begin this year in prayer where we can be honest about the past, grateful for God’s faithfulness, and expectant for the work He will continue among us.
As you pray today, consider taking time with these questions, individually or with others:
- Where did I see God’s presence, provision, or faithfulness in the past year—even in unexpected or difficult places?
- What parts of the “old self” (attitudes, habits, patterns of thinking) might God be inviting me to lay down as I enter this new year?
- Where have I experienced healing, growth, or new life in Christ this past year?
- What relationships need the peace of Christ, forgiveness, or love to rule more fully in the year ahead?
- How can the Word of Christ dwell more richly in my life—through prayer, Scripture, worship, or community?
- In what ways might God be inviting our church to reflect Christ more clearly through unity, maturity, and love?
I invite you to spend your half hour of prayer in a posture of listening, letting each question sit for a moment as you wait on the Lord. Rather than a list of needs, we come before the Lord in surrender at the start of this year, asking for his way forward for us as individuals and a church family. If you don’t hear anything, that’s ok. It’s not about getting the answers but “setting our hearts on things above.”
With you in the listening,
Carrie
