Gracious Heavenly Father,

As we gather before your throne this morning, we sit in awe of you, Lord, not merely because of what you’ve done for us, Lord, but because of who you are.  As we celebrate the arrival of yet another new year, we are reminded, O Lord, that though this may be the 20^th or 40^th or even 60^th year we’ve seen come and pass, you alone, O Lord, have born witness to every new year that there has ever been, beginning with the first, for you alone, O Lord, have existed since before time began, for you, O Lord, created time.  We praise you, Eternal Father! And we worship you, O Lord, for you are a faithful God! Unlike us, who make New Year’s resolutions we so often fail to keep, you, O Lord, are always faithful to fulfill your promises, and your plans, O Lord, always come to pass.  Praise your glorious name!

And we thank you, Lord, for the many ways you’ve displayed your faithfulness to us over this last year!

• We prayed that you would draw more unbelievers to Yourself through the ministry of Restoration Church, and Lord, you have been faithful to do so.  Because of the great love with which you loved them, even when they were dead in their trespasses, you made Liam, Josh and David alive together with Christ! By grace they have been saved! Praise you merciful Lord!
• We prayed that you would grow our body in spiritual maturity, and you have.  Through our Sunday gatherings, Community Groups, Discipleship relationships, Men’s and Women’s Retreats, Grudem discussions, and most of all through our time spent alone with you in prayer and reading your Word, you have increased our love for Christ, our love for your Word, and our love for one another. Praise you, O Lord!
• We prayed that you would grow us in number for the glory of Your name, and indeed you have.  Not only did you draw numerous visitors to our Sunday gatherings, including some who simply saw our sign outside and decided to walk in, but you added so many dear brothers and sisters to our body as covenant members of Restoration Church, you created the need for more community groups to be established, and you blessed us with more children (including two born within the last few months!) to disciple through the ministry of Restoration Kids! How grateful we are, Lord!
• We prayed for more elders, and you provided us with Chris and Deholo, two men who have been so faithful in shepherding our body and in pointing us to Christ, our Great Shepherd.
• We prayed that You would plant a Christ-exalting Spanish speaking church in Columbia Heights, and indeed you’ve been drawing Spanish speakers to the weekly bible study at David Hill’s apartment, and you’ve connected our elders with Alejandro Molero, a man who could potentially lead the Columbia Heights church plant.  Praise you God! And please continue to grant our elders wisdom as they consider whether Alejandro should lead this effort.
• We prayed that You would give us opportunities to build relationships with the community surrounding Woodrow Wilson High School, and you have.  Not only have we had the chance to meet neighbors while doing a food drive for the Central Union Mission and a toy drive for DC127, but you’ve blessed our body with the opportunity to, on a monthly basis, visit Friendship Terrace, a local elderly community, to build relationships with the residents there, to worship through song with them, and to share Your life-giving Word with them.
• We prayed that you would strengthen the marriages within our church, and you have.  Our “newly weds” have grown to learn what it means to count one another as more significant.  And our “been marrieds” have learned what it means to trust you in new seasons of their lives, and they’ve seen your power to restore their marriages even when, in their eyes, they’ve appeared on the verge of breaking.
• We prayed for fruit from our church’s involvement in the American Friends program at American University, and we’ve seen numerous international students attend our Sunday gatherings and engage in meaningful Gospel-conversations with our members.
• We prayed for more generational diversity within our body, and by the work of your hand, we’ve seen Christians, who have been faithfully walking with you for many years, coming through our doors.
• We prayed for the churches in Haiti, that their pastors would be faithful teachers of your Word.  You granted our church the opportunity to facilitate the translation of the book “9Marks of Healthy Church” into their native language of Creole, an effort which is nearing completion.
• We prayed for jobs for members of our body and we’ve seen you provide abundantly for Emily, Travis, myself and others.
• We prayed that we would be wise with our finances, investing them in a way that would serve to further your kingdom here in D.C. and abroad.  You provided us the opportunity to lease an office space that’s close to Woodrow Wilson High School, where our pastors can prepare sermons, counsel members and conduct elder meetings, and a place where members can host events like cultural immersion dinners and engagement celebrations.  And you gave us the opportunity to continue supporting a missionary to K, to support 9Marks ministry which helps to establish healthy Gospel-centered churches, and other local ministries around Washington, D.C.

Praise to you, O Lord, for you have heard our prayers!

And yet, despite your faithfulness, how quick we are to treat our time in prayer as insignificant and ineffective, simply an empty ritual that we practice because “that’s what Christians do.”  O Lord, please forgive us for this sinful pattern of thinking.  Please grow in us a confidence in knowing that you, indeed, hear our prayers and you use them to bring about your redemptive plan.  And please give us a desire to meet with you regularly, not because we have to, but because it brings us joy.

And Lord, please continue to bless the ministry of Restoration Church in the coming year! We pray that you would draw 20 non-believers to yourself this year, that you would draw 20 new Spanish speakers to the Columbia Heights bible study, and that you would draw to Restoration Church 20 more Christians who’ve been faithfully walking with you for many years!  We pray these things knowing that you are able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.  We pray that you would do so.

In the name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.