A new year offers new beginnings. A clean slate. A fresh start. One of the best ways to start the new year, of course, is in prayer, and one of the best prayers for a new year is a “dream prayer.”
I don’t mean the kind of dream you have while sleeping, necessarily. I mean a dream you harbor, something you hope for, a Martin-Luther-King-I-Have-a-Dream kind of dream. Most of us have them—things we crave or covet for the future, but that may not seem realistically reachable.
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But there’s not better time or place to dream of a different future than in prayer. I asked some of my friends to share their “dream prayer” with me. Here’s what they said:
“I fervently pray, make my dream come true for all of my children and grandchildren to come to know and walk with you, Lord” (Betty, Bowling Green, OH).
“Lord, grant my dreams of steady income and improved physical fitness” (Delores, Racine, WI).
“My dream prayer for 2017 is for my three daughters—two in college, and a senior in high school—that funding their education won’t cripple them financially or impede their success in all they do” (Amy, Syracuse, NY).
“Fulfill my dream of a healed and restored relationship with my adult daughter” (Tina, Ashland, OH).
“God, it puts the hair up on my arms even saying it, but I pray that this is the year You use some of what You have done in me to produce a published book” (Dawn, Culman, AL).
“Please let 2017 be the year things start to come together, that after seven years of joblessness and financial struggle, I’ll finally feel a sense of security” (Sharyn, Bellefontaine, OH).
“I dream of a world where love and kindness is the norm. Until that dream occurs, I pray that my own heart remain loving and kind amidst the hatred” (Rick, Atlanta, GA).
“My dream prayer is complete healing for my husband’s arm, that though it has been a year since his injury and the surgeon says he will never have more movement or less pain, bring to pass my dream that his trombone-playing in The Salvation Army band will be pain-free” (CB, Old Orchard Beach, ME).
“Lord, fulfill my dream of visiting Hawaii and learning to surf, despite my limited finances and fear of flying” (Jana, Oxford, OH).
“God, my dream prayer is that after three miscarriages in one year, my daughter will be able to enjoy the experience of becoming a mother in 2017” (Patti, Burlington, VT).
“Lord, make my dream come true of opening a free restaurant where people just come for dinner and eat without charge” (Cindy, Cincinnati, OH).
“God, I dream of a miracle for a 32-year-old man who became a paraplegic when he fell from a tree trying to help an elderly neighbor after Hurricane Matthew. Though the doctors give him a 1% chance of ever walking, I know You can change those odds” (Karen, Suwanee, GA).
“Father, please answer my dream prayer that I will let go of whatever is holding me back from reaching my full potential” (Bev, Orrville, OH).
“Grant my dream of paying off debt, providing for my family, and still having enough to give to others” (Beth, Philadelphia, PA).
“I dream of my husband’s healing, that he may be able to enjoy life again” (Rayne, Syracuse, NY).
I share some of those dreams, along with others—dreams of physical and financial healing, successful transitions, and weight loss. (Why not? Maybe this will be the year!)
What is your dream prayer for 2017?
