New Year's Resolutions from the Psalms

All the "I will" passages from the Psalms

I’ve not been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. This only increased once I found out that there is some evidence that sharing your goals publicly may have a counterintuitive (and more importantly, counter-productive) impact on actually achieving those goals.* So I’ve not joined in the New Year’s resolutions practice much at all.

What I have done instead is make fun of them, many, many times. If resolutions are dear to you, I’m sorry! Herein lies a loose litany of my many mockeries:

• Back in 2014 I wrote about new Year’s resolutions in a joking way on DavidDrury.com

• Then I revisited that idea with a ton of jokes and jeers in 2021 with A New Schedule for a New Year with the less than circumspect subtitle: “Including the Fool-Proof Combined Gluten-free, Cake-pop, & Dialysis Diet Strategy.”

• In 2022 I wrote more seriously about when your resolutions don’t work out in A Fresh Start: When Stuff Happens.

• And all the way back in 2007 I wrote up a now very dated piece (in both culture references and internet formatting) about new year’s resolutions. (Remember, that article was written before the existence of the iPhone and Android smartphones, as well as Twitter, Spotify, Airbnb, and Pinterest. This was all the way back when Netflix didn’t yet do streaming services and sent DVDs to you in the mail!)

So, suffice it to say that for nearly two decades I’ve done more mockery of the idea of resolutions than any actual resolution keeping. But on the bright side, I’ve written more words mocking resolutions than most people write that make resolutions to “start writing” in the coming year.

This year I thought I would ease up on the gas a bit and get more earnest and serious. Sorry for those of you who only come here for Getting Silly Dave, this one is mostly by Getting Spiritual Dave.

The Psalms

Back in 2013 I made a little list of “I will” statements in the Psalms and used it for some sermons and devotional talks at New Year’s time. I thought it was a good way to think about how the Bible might inform our ways of intending to think, believe, or live differently in the new year—which is the core spirit and intent of New Year’s resolutions, right? I found this old list in my files over the holidays this year and found it was not quite comprehensive enough for me. That short list also felt a bit like a mauve and lace bookmark one would find in a Christian Book store.

[If you didn’t notice, that was Getting Silly Dave still contributing some content to this piece.]

2024 Word Study

So I did the study all over again. Now, I should say this is an “English Bible Word Study” so we’re not going into the original language here because even on a good day I don’t know how to conjugate ancient Hebrew verbs, and by “good day” I mean a day when I’m not still digesting my Christmas feast roast beast.

First, I should note that this list mostly includes the first use of the phrase in the NIV English translation of the Psalms. The reasons is that many of these “I will” statements in the Psalms are repeated many, many times. The most common one you’ll find in the Psalms is, perhaps unsurprisingly, I will praise. You’ll find this exact wording in Psalm 16:7, 18:49, 22:22, 26:12, 30:12, 35:18, 43:4, 54:6, 57:9, 63:4, 69:30, 71:14, 71:22, 86:12, 108:3, 109:30, 118:28, 119:7, 138:1, 145:1, 145:2, 146:2. Whew! That’s a hefty word study just there for you to go down the rabbit hole on so I didn’t give you a “see also” list on each of these as it would have looked like a legal dossier.

How one might use this list

• Perhaps you could chose one of these Psalms as your “verse of the year.”

• Or you might consider picking your top 3 or 7 of these to memorize throughout the year, or even one per month all year.

• If you already created a New Year’s resolution list, try playing a “matching game” with this list of Psalms—perhaps some of them connect and could motivate you?

• Use this list to do a word study of your own—perhaps on all the other “I will” statements on that subject in Psalms or even in all of the Bible.

• If you are doing a sermon or devotional near the New Year’s day use you could use list as your outline.

• There are 35 of these “I will” statements—so you could use them as a daily prayer each month of the year (just omit those that don’t connect as much.) You could insert these on your calendar with a reminder on every day of each month.

• You may even find one specific verse and idea that sort of captures this season in your life and just meditate on it today.

However you may use it, here goes….

“I will” in the Psalms**

I WILL PROCLAIM

Psalm 2:7 - I will proclaim the LORD's decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.”

I WILL SLEEP

Psalm 4:8 - In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.

I WILL GIVE THANKS

Psalm 7:17 - I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.

I WILL REJOICE

Psalm 9:2 - I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

I WILL SING

Psalm 13:6 - I will sing the LORD's praise, for he has been good to me.

I WILL PRAISE

Psalm 16:7 - I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.

I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN

Psalm 16:8 - I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

I WILL BE VINDICATED

Psalm 17:15 - As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

I WILL BE SATISFIED

Psalm 17:15 - As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.

I WILL BE BLAMELESS

Psalm 19:13 - Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

I WILL FULFILL MY VOWS

Psalm 22:25 - From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.

I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

Psalm 23:6 - Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

I WILL BE CONFIDENT

Psalm 27:3 - Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident

I WILL SEEK THE LORD’S FACE

Psalm 27:8 - My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek.

I WILL SEE THE GOODNESS

Psalm 27:13 - I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

I WILL CONFESS

Psalm 32:5 - Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

I WILL READ PROVERBS

Psalm 49:4 - I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle….

I WILL BE CLEAN

Psalm 51:7 - Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

I WILL HOPE IN YOUR NAME

Psalm 52:9 - For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people. And I will hope in your name, for your name is good.

I WILL TRUST

Psalm 55:23 - But you, God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of decay; the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you.

I WILL KNOW GOD IS FOR ME

Psalm 56:9 - Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.

I WILL TAKE REFUGE

Psalm 57:1 - Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.

I WILL HAVE HOPE

Psalm 71:14 - As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.

I WILL REMEMBER

Psalm 77:11 - I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

I WILL MEDITATE

Psalm 77:12 - I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.

I WILL LISTEN

Psalm 85:8 - I will listen to what God the LORD says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants— but let them not turn to folly.

I WILL NOT APPROVE OF THE VILE

Psalm 101:3 - I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it.

I WILL HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH EVIL

Psalm 101:4 - The perverse of heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with what is evil.

I WILL CALL ON GOD

Psalm 116:2 - Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.

I WILL NOT FEAR

Psalm 118:6 - The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

I WILL OBEY

Psalm 119:8 - I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

I WILL NOT NEGLECT YOUR WORD

Psalm 119:16 - I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

I WILL WALK IN FREEDOM

Psalm 119:45 - I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

I WILL LIVE

Psalm 119:116 - Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.

I WILL SEEK PROSPERITY FOR OTHERS

Psalm 122:9 - For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.

*See Gollwitzer et. al (2009). “When Intentions Go Public.” Psychological Science, 20(5), 612-618. DD Note: I’m writing about this phenomenon in a future article that I have drafted about goals.

**All scriptures shown in the NIV

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NOTE: If this was refreshing and/or interesting to you then I’d invite you to take a look at the brand new daily devotional series coming to DruGroup covering all the commands of Jesus called 147: What Jesus Told Us To Do. This is a gift to paid subscribers to DruGroup, which only costs ten cents a day. All you have to do is click subscribe or upgrade to paid here to see your options:

Since this introduction to 147 starts with the fact that it is illegal in France to name your pig Napoleon you’ll note it includes plenty from Getting Silly Dave before Getting Spiritual Dave takes over….

More from Getting Spiritual Dave:

A Fresh Start: When Stuff Happens

And more from Getting Silly Dave:

A New Schedule for a New Year