The Altar of the Year’s End: Submission, Repentance, and New Beginnings
Scripture Reading:
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” — 1 Peter 5:6-7 (KJV)
The Midnight Inventory
As the clock ticks toward the close of another year, the world often celebrates with noise and revelry. However, for the believer and the visitor to jacobsimham.com, December 31st is a day of holy stillness. It is a day for a “Midnight Inventory” of the soul.
In the King James Version, we are frequently reminded of the “reins”—the inner workings of our heart and mind. As we stand at the threshold of a new chapter, we must ask: Who has held the reins of my life this year?
The Necessity of Repentance
We cannot effectively step into a New Year while dragging the chains of unconfessed sin from the old one. Repentance is not merely feeling “sorry” for our mistakes; the biblical definition involves a “metanoia”—a complete turning away from our own path and toward God’s path.
The Prophet Joel cried out: “Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments…” (Joel 2:12-13, KJV).
As you reflect on the past twelve months, consider the moments where you leaned on your own understanding rather than God’s wisdom. Consider the times when anger, pride, or worldly distractions crowded out the “still small voice.”
Repentance is the spiritual house-cleaning required for the Holy Spirit to dwell comfortably in our hearts. It is the act of bringing our failures to the foot of the Cross, trusting in the promise that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, KJV). Do not enter the New Year with a clouded conscience. Let the blood of Jesus Christ wash the slate clean today.
The Call to Total Self-Submission
Once the heart is cleansed through repentance, the next step is Self-Submission. In our modern world, “submission” is often viewed as a sign of weakness. However, in the Kingdom of God, submission is our greatest strength.
The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 12:1 (KJV): “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
To submit means to stop negotiating with God. It means laying down our personal agendas, our five-year plans, and our demands for comfort at His feet. True submission says, “Lord, not my will, but Thine be done.” Submission is the antidote to the anxiety that so often accompanies a New Year. When we submit our future to God, we are no longer responsible for “fixing” everything; we are simply responsible for “following” Him. When we submit, we acknowledge that He is the Potter and we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8, KJV). The clay does not struggle against the Potter’s hand; it yields, knowing that the Potter is shaping it into a vessel of honor.
Casting the Burden: The Release of Care
A significant part of submitting to God is the act of “casting.” 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast our care upon Him. The word “cast” implies a deliberate, forceful throwing.
Think of the worries that kept you awake in 2025—finances, health, family conflicts, and career uncertainties. If you carry them into 2026, you will be too weighed down to run the race set before you.
On this 31st of December, make a conscious decision to “throw” these burdens onto the Lord. He is the only one with shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world. Submission means saying: “Lord, I can no longer carry this burden of worry. I submit this situation to Thy sovereignty.”
The Promise of Restoration
For those who repent and submit, the Bible offers a glorious promise of restoration. In Joel 2:25 (KJV), God says, “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten…”
Perhaps you feel that the past year was a “wasted” year. Perhaps loss, grief, or your own mistakes felt like a swarm of locusts devouring your joy. But God is the Master of the Harvest. When we submit our “wasted” years to Him, He has a miraculous way of redeeming the time. He can do more in one year of submitted obedience than we can do in ten years of self-driven effort.
Prayer
O Eternal and Holy Father,
As the sun sets on this year, I come into Thy presence with a humble heart. I acknowledge my transgressions; I confess that I have often strayed from Thy paths like a lost sheep. I have followed too much the devices and desires of my own heart.
Lord, I repent. I turn away from my pride, my selfishness, and my lack of faith. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
I submit myself entirely to Thee this day. I lay my life, my family, my work, and my future upon Thine altar. I am Thine, Lord; save me. I give Thee my fears for the coming year and I receive Thy peace. I trust that Thou art able to keep that which I have committed unto Thee against that day.
Guide my steps in the year to come. Let Thy Word be a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
In the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
As you watch the clock strike twelve, do not look back with regret. The past is under the Blood. Do not look forward with fear. The future is in His hands.
Stand firm in the words of Isaiah 43:18-19 (KJV):
“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
Go into the New Year as a submitted servant, a forgiven child, and a bold witness for the Gospel. The Lord is with thee; be not afraid.
