New Year Bible Verses, Reading Plans & Resolutions (KJV)
January is the month people start Bibles they will abandon by March. Below: KJV verses for a new beginning, a plan that survives February, what Scripture actually says about making plans, a Watch Night outline, and free printables.
Bible verses for a new year
The verses below are the ones most read on the first Sunday of the year — and most of them are about God's constancy rather than our fresh starts, which is the more useful emphasis in January.
"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."Isaiah 43:19 (KJV) — read in context
"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."Lamentations 3:22-23 (KJV) — read in context
"Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."Philippians 3:13-14 (KJV) — read in context
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV) — read in context
Read these passages in the KJV Bible reader:
How to actually read the Bible in a year
Three or four chapters a day gets you through the whole KJV in twelve months. The failure point is almost never January; it is Leviticus in early February and Chronicles in April.
Two adjustments fix most abandoned plans. First, read on a fixed anchor — after coffee, before the phone — not at a fixed time. Second, allow catch-up days: build in one blank day a week and you will never be behind enough to quit.
If a straight-through plan has failed you twice, read chronologically or pair one Old Testament chapter with one Psalm and one New Testament chapter each day.
What the Bible says about plans and resolutions
Scripture is neither cynical about planning nor impressed by it. Proverbs commends the ant and the diligent, then says plainly: "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).
James goes further, mocking the confident year planner who says he will go to a city and buy and sell and get gain, "whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow" (James 4:13-15). The correction is not to stop planning but to add a clause: if the Lord will.
A biblical resolution therefore looks less like a target and more like a habit — daily reading, weekly worship, monthly giving — because those are the things obedience can control.
Read these passages in the KJV Bible reader:
A Watch Night service outline
Watch Night on New Year's Eve is one of the oldest Protestant year-end traditions. A simple order: Psalm 90 (teach us to number our days), a time of thanksgiving for the year, Lamentations 3:19-26, silent confession, Psalm 121, and a covenant prayer as the year turns.
Close at midnight with Numbers 6:24-26 — "The LORD bless thee, and keep thee."
Read these passages in the KJV Bible reader:
Free printable PDFs for New Year
Every printable is free, KJV, and cleared for church and classroom use — no signup, no watermark.
New Year service kit — order of service and bulletin inserts
A covenant-renewal order for the first Sunday of the year — Lamentations 3 readings, a prayer of dedication, and inserts on reading the Bible in a year.
5 pages · US Letter · order of service, calls to worship, invocation and confession, responsive reading, offering sentence, benediction, two cut-out bulletin inserts, and a planning sheet. No signup.
30 Verses for the New Year
Thirty KJV verses on beginnings, guidance, and faithfulness as cut-out cards.
Bible in a Year Tracker
A one-page printable checklist for every book and chapter of the KJV.
New Year verse of the day
Start the year with a free KJV verse widget on your site or blog.
Copy the embed code
<iframe src="https://www.biblesundays.com/embed/verse?ref=jeremiah-29-11&theme=light&size=md" width="100%" height="260" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="New Year verse of the day"></iframe>Frequently asked questions
What is a good Bible verse for the new year?
Lamentations 3:22-23 — "They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." It grounds the new year in God's constancy rather than in your willpower.
How do I read the whole Bible in a year?
Read three to four chapters a day, anchor it to an existing daily habit, and build in one catch-up day per week. Our free Bible in a Year tracker gives you the whole checklist on one page.
Does the Bible talk about New Year's resolutions?
Not by name. It commends planning (Proverbs 16:3, Proverbs 21:5) while insisting that outcomes belong to God (Proverbs 16:9, James 4:13-15).
What is a Watch Night service?
A New Year's Eve service of Scripture, thanksgiving, and prayer that carries a congregation from the old year into the new, traditionally closing at midnight with a blessing.
Keep reading
Bible in a Year Tracker
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Holy Week Hub
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Ash Wednesday Hub
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Epiphany Hub
KJV Epiphany readings for January 6: the wise men, the star, the gifts, and what the feast means — with a short devotional and free printable verse cards.
Ascension Hub
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Trinity Sunday Hub
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All Saints Hub
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