When I headed into 2025, it became apparent my word for the year was going to be surrender. And this year has been a full surrender into what the Lord has for the upcoming season. As you prepare for the next year, and this preparation happens months before the calendar turns, many things start to get you ready for what’s ahead. 2025 has been a whirlwind. We sold a company to another company, started preparing for my next career step, and learned to surrender what’s in my hands to the Lord.
Surrender into Joy
I’ve been asking the Lord for a word for 2026. Because it feels like such a turning point in the lives of many people, and we are also in a birthing season, it has come with an onslaught of warfare and drinking from a fire hose. Sometimes I leave work and just cry. I’m either crying because I’m watching an answered prayer request before my eyes or cry because the pressure is so high. Either way that have been a lot of tears of joy or tears from the pressure.
This morning it became apparent that through the surrender of 2025, joy is my portion on the other side. The Lord has been highlighting that joy (regardless of circumstance or situation) will be the fruit in 2026. This is joy in hardship, joy good times, happiness with friends, and joy in seeing dreams come true. I always come back to Nehemiah. The entire book, he’s building a wall of protection for the people of Israel. He tells someone he cannot come down from building because of his purpose. Then he says in Nehemiah 8 that the joy of the Lord is his strength. Nehemiah 8:10 said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
When you have the joy of the Lord (gladness that can’t be explained), you have strength, courage, purpose, meaning and laughter despite what swirls around you. Surrender is so hard because it means dying to what is trying to break you. On the other side of surrender, is joy unspeakable. I’m not sure how this will look in my life come 2026, but I do know that joy will be my portion.
Open Your Hands
2026 is a year to open our hands. Psalm 145:16 NIV “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” The provision which will come in 2026 will be something we can’t explain. The Lord is opening his hands to bring about his purposes in the lives of many. We also have to be surrendered with open hands to receive what he is purposing. These last two months have been ones of cleaning out the yuck in my soul to get ready for what’s ahead. We’ve gone after the spirits of distrust, injustice, destruction, stress, and a whole host of things trying to keep delay going in our lives. You have to work through all that in order to heal and get to the other side. The Lord has had to pry my hands open on some things and it has hurt. But I know that he is teaching me that goodness in the land of the living is possible. (Psalm 27:13-14)
Psalm 104:28 “When you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.” When God opens his hands, good things are coming. The last few years of trauma, pain, exhaustion and weariness are breaking off of people right now in the name of Jesus. Start praying with open hands and ask the Lord to open his hands over your life in 2026.
Prayer for 2026
Lord, I surrender what has been, and I open my hands to what will be. Restore my joy and reignite my purpose. Let 2026 be the year I walk in joy through complete surrender — trusting your timing, your wisdom, and your beautiful plans for my life. Amen.
