Trusting God with the Unfinished

The new year often brings with it new goals, fresh ideas, and hopeful dreams. Everywhere we look, there’s an invitation to start over—to set intentions, make plans, and look ahead with excitement. But what about the in-between seasons? What about the places that feel unfinished?

What if you’re stepping into a new year carrying loose ends—hopes that didn’t come to fruition, prayers that haven’t been answered yet, or healing that still feels out of reach?

Maybe you find yourself surrounded by people who are energized about what’s ahead, while you’re quietly struggling to take the next step forward because of what you’ve had to leave behind. The grief. The disappointment. The chapter that didn’t close the way you hoped it would.

Maybe you’re holding unrealized expectations—or recognizing a need for control that God is gently asking you to release.

Maybe you hear others sharing their resolutions and bold visions for the year ahead, but when you look inward, the path feels foggy. You want to hope—but you don’t quite know what you’re hoping for yet.

When we find ourselves here, it can be hard to know how to pray.

Your faith in God may still be steady, yet doubts and fears linger beneath the surface. You trust Him—but you’re unsure what words to bring, what requests to make, or how to ask for something when your heart feels tired of asking.

In seasons like this, God doesn’t require polished prayers or perfectly articulated faith. Instead of a list of requests, we can bring Him a quiet trust. A willingness to believe that He already goes before us. That what feels unfinished to us is still safely held in His capable, compassionate hands.

I remember finding myself in this very space—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually—when life felt suspended between the ashes of what had been lost and the beauty God promised would someday rise from them. I clung to verses like “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me” (Psalm 138:8) and “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6). And when even those words felt hard to speak, I learned to lean on borrowed prayers.

I prayed the Psalms. I whispered prayers written by others. I trusted that God could translate what my heart couldn’t yet express.

This prayer is meant to do just that.

If these words say what your heart is struggling to piece together, save them. Return to them on the days when the future feels unclear, when hope feels fragile, or when you’re unsure how to leave what’s unfinished in God’s hands.

A Prayer for the In-Between

Lord,
Thank You for meeting me here—in the in-between, the messy middle, the space that feels unsettled and uncertain. Thank You that this season does not surprise You, and that I am not behind or forgotten in Your plans.

Help me trust that You hold my future, even when I cannot yet see it clearly. Remind me that You are still working—quietly, faithfully, patiently—when it feels like nothing is changing.

Teach me to release what I cannot control and to rest in what You already carry. Take the hopes that remain unfinished, the prayers that feel unanswered, and the places in my heart that are still tender, and hold them with care.

When I don’t have the words, be my peace.
When my faith feels small, be my strength.
When I’m unsure how to move forward, help me trust that You go before me.

Root me in hope—not in outcomes or timelines, but in who You are.
And as this new year unfolds, help me believe that You are making all things new.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.