Year-End Reflection and Prayer Retreat

Self-Paced Retreats

The purpose of this spiritual retreat is to take intentional time to prayerfully reflect over the previous year and commit the coming year to the Lord.

The following devotional explores attitudes helpful in reflection, and shares thoughts from 1 Peter 1:3-9 on how to deal with the difficult parts of the past year.

Retreat Activities

This retreat consists of two parts: reflection and response. Choose one activity from the Reflection section, and at least one activity from the Response section, below. Then, you will find some examples of how you might schedule this retreat. Because the year-end retreat is one of the most reflective retreats we do, it is important to include sufficient time for breaks and rest. Otherwise, the time can become overly introspective or overly task-oriented. Some ideas for how to break up your retreat time can be found here: Ideas for Rest.

Reflection

The purposes of these three activities are essentially the same. Choose one that you think will be most helpful or meaningful to you personally, given your personality and what has transpired over the last year.

Personal Timeline – this activity is more concrete, focusing especially on the chronology of what has happened over the last year and how that has impacted you.

Themes of the Year – this activity focuses on the big picture and uses keywords or descriptors to explore how the year was. Because of this, it is slightly more abstract than the other activities.

Life Inventory – this activity helps you process how you have been doing in many different aspects of life. It can be helpful for considering facets of your life not always at the forefront of your mind.

If you are not sure which activity would be best for you, our general recommendation is to try the Personal Timeline for this retreat.

Response

After you have completed one of the Reflection activities, consider doing one or two of the following activities in order to respond, pray, or dwell on God’s Word.

Scripture Meditation

Walking with a Text – If the weather is suitable, this activity is very helpful after a time of reflection. It provides some variety, since so much of the retreat is done sitting and thinking.

Journaling with a Text – If you are unable to do the Walking with a Text activity, this is a good choice in order to spend some time dwelling on God’s Word.

Possible passages for meditation:

  • 1 Peter 1:3-9 – A living hope
  • Hebrews 12:1-3 – Fix our eyes on Jesus
  • Mark 10:46-52 – Jesus, have mercy on me
  • Psalm 90:12-17 – Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us
  • Psalm 139:1-14 – Lord, you have searched me and known me

Prayer

Praying the Psalms – This activity may be helpful if your reflection time brought up strong emotions, whether positive or negative.

Prayer Collage – Like the people of Israel erecting a stone monument, it can sometimes be very helpful to make something in order to remember what God has done, or in order to express our prayers to the Lord in a more concrete way.

Example Retreats

One option is to do the Reflection and the Response in two short, 1-hour retreats. Other options are a 2-hour retreat, or 3-hour retreat. The times are a rough estimate, please don’t feel bound to a certain timeframe. All of the following retreat possibilities are just suggestions – change them and customize them with the activities you’re most interested in.

Short Retreat, Part 1

  • Morning Liturgy
  • Reflection activity (choose from above)
  • Sit and rest outside for five minutes

Short Retreat, Part 2

  • Commit the time to the Lord with a short prayer
  • Walking with a Text
  • Journal for a few minutes
  • Sing a couple songs of praise

Two-hour Retreat

Three-hour Retreat

Tips and Reminders

Perhaps more than in any other type of retreat, we need to be aware of and watch our motives and attitudes in a year-end reflection. As we reflect on what has been, the goal is NOT to look for how much we have accomplished or assess whether or not we have done enough. The goal is to look to Jesus as we reflect on what has been. This may include things like:

  • Asking God and looking for how he has been at work over the last year. How has he been guiding, providing, growing us, answering prayer, or bringing transformation?
  • Giving thanks for the ways that we see God’s provision or his work.
  • Confessing when we see ways we have strayed from our shepherd
  • Honestly laying before the Lord any difficult emotions we still have regarding things that happened over the last year.
  • Remembering any ways God has been showing us more of who he is. Dwelling on key truths or passages of Scripture that have been especially impactful.
  • Resting in the goodness and power of God over all that has been and will be. And resting in the love and work of Jesus in any sin and failure we see.

As we look forward to the coming year, our desire for this spiritual retreat is NOT to make goals or resolutions – while goals can be helpful, too often this focuses us on “what I can accomplish this year through my strength.” Rather, the goal is to depend deeply on Jesus and fix our eyes on our good Shepherd as we walk into the unknown before us. This may include things like:

  • Expressing our hopes and longings for the coming year to God in prayer.
  • Boldly asking for the specific grace, strength, and provision needed to walk into the coming year following our good Shepherd.
  • Casting our anxieties and cares on the Lord.
  • Remembering the promises of God specific to what I may face this year.
  • Thanking God and resting in who he is.
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