By the second or third week of January, the shiny optimism of the New Year often begins to fade. The resolutions we made—to be more organized, more patient, or more productive—collide with the reality of our busy lives. We look at the year ahead and wonder: How am I going to manage all of this?

If you are already feeling the weight of the year, you are in good company. Martin Luther, despite being a giant of the Reformation, frequently struggled with anxiety and the feeling that the tasks before him were too great for his own abilities.

Luther had a specific prayer he reportedly prayed in the sacristy (the prep room) before or after preaching. It wasn’t a prayer of “Lord, look how great I am.” It was a prayer of honest desperation and total reliance on God.

It is a perfect prayer for us today, not just for pastors, but for anyone trying to do a good job in their daily life.

The Prayer

“Lord God, You have appointed me as a Bishop and Pastor in Your Church, but you see how unsuited I am to meet so great and difficult a task. If I had lacked Your help, I would have ruined it all long ago. Therefore, I call upon You:

I wish to devote my mouth and my heart to you; I shall teach the people. I myself will learn and ponder diligently upon Your Word. Use me as Your instrument — but do not forsake me, for if I am left to myself, I will certainly bring it all to destruction. Amen.”

Your “Pulpit” is Your Life You may not wear a robe or stand in a pulpit, but you have a high calling. Lutherans call this Vocation.

Maybe your “pulpit” is an office desk, a steering wheel, a classroom, or the kitchen table. Maybe your “congregation” is your clients, your aging parents, or your rebellious teenagers.

When we look at our duties for 2026, it is easy to think it all depends on us. That leads to stress. Luther’s prayer flips the script. It admits a hard truth: “If I am left to myself, I will certainly bring it all to destruction.”

That isn’t pessimism; it’s freedom. It is the freedom of realizing that God is God, and you are not.

A Challenge for the New Year As we step further into this year, try adopting Luther’s mindset. When you clock into work, or when you wake up to a chaotic house, take a moment to breathe and say:

“Lord, I am unsuited for this task on my own. If it’s up to me, I’ll mess it up. So, use me as your instrument today. You do the heavy lifting.”

Let’s make 2026 a year not of striving for perfection, but of resting in the grace that God works through us, imperfect as we are.