10 Prophetic Words with an Easy One for 2020
Ten years ago, I heard a Christian radio DJ say that he had asked God to give him a single word to focus on for each new year. This word became a concept that he continued to meditate on throughout the year for his faith and personal growth. I asked God to do the same thing for me, and he has done it ever since.
Here are some of the insights I have received since 2011, along with the word I just received for 2020. Whether or not you believe in God, I hope these words will give you some insight and encouragement for your own life in this new year.
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2011 – Peace
This was the first word I received. I learned that peace is something to be secured and highly valued, more than most things in life. Not simply to be at peace, but to establish peace with those around you. For me, that meant praying for peace in my home and in the homes of family and friends I visited, just as Jesus pronounced peace to his disciples. And when you seek the well-being of others, it automatically brings you more peace.
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2012 – Prestige
The second year, I saw a pattern emerging with these annual words. I also discovered that some words don’t mean what I thought they did. “Prestige” can mean having notoriety, but it specifically refers to the perception that people have of us, either good or bad. It is our public image, rather than the truth of who we are beneath the surface. In fact, the word refers to an illusion, that only appears to be real. I learned that people can have a positive or negative view of you, but over time, your inner character will be revealed.
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2013 – Prosperity
Who wouldn’t want a word like “prosperity” for the new year? Except that God views things in a totally different way than we do. While hearing a word like “prosperity” make us hope to inherit a fortune, God focuses on how our souls are prospering. Instead of gaining new things that year, we lost a lot. It was heartbreaking, and we’re still recovering from some of it. However, I learned that losing things often means gaining something more important, and we learned what matters most and who will stand by us in the long run, no matter what.
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2014 – Privilege
This year taught me to stay humble and grateful for whatever I received, whether big or small. It also taught me to be responsible with any thing or opportunity I was given, instead of taking anything or anyone for granted.
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2015 – Provision
This was another year of expecting one thing and virtually receiving the opposite. We expected certain big things to happen this year, that we had been waiting on for some time, but we didn’t receive those things. Instead, I was drawn to the fact that God is providing for us all the time, in big and small ways, and to appreciate all the things he had already provided.
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2016 – Prodigious
I learned a new word this year. Prodigious means huge, referring to something of phenomenal size or significance. That year, we actually received some awesome changes that helped us a lot. We moved into a nice new place after years of waiting. My wife returned to school to complete her degree. I started a new work-from-home job as well as starting to drive for Uber. I also published a new book and began printing paperbacks, and we also joined a new church and started seeing some big changes in the way we treated one another in our family.
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2017 – Prolific
I learned that God really wants us to be prolific. It’s the same as being fruitful. To take the good things we have and make more of it, to share it with others. But to do that, you’ve got to find ways to produce more, probably by spending more time working at it. Getting up earlier, scheduling time differently, and focusing on what matters most so you can make more of it.
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2018 – Pensive
I can’t remember much from this year. Which was, ironically, about thinking. If that was even the right word that year, because I can’t remember that for certain.
So I apparently didn’t think too deeply about anything, and failed to grasp whatever God wanted to show me. A sad result.
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2019 – Periphery
This past year was about stepping outside of myself, my interests, my wants, and my worries, and being more aware of the needs of those around me. I’ve spent more time with family, friends, and acquaintances, without stressing about the time I wanted to spend completing other tasks. As a result, I’ve had a greater relationship with my wife and my kids, and renewed my ability to genuinely connect with other people.
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2020 – Pivot/al
This year’s word is “pivotal”, or “pivot”. Sounds ominous. We think of a pivotal moment as one in which things could go really good or bad, and there’s no turning back afterward. But God was showing me that this means something different. As usual, it’s not about what God is doing or about what happens to us in life, but what God wants us to do ourselves. This year, he wants me to learn to pivot.
To pivot simply means to turn. To view things from a different angle. To try things in a different way than I’ve tried them in the past. And doing so will naturally bring about some different, even dramatic results. But it starts with a decision to turn.
This may or may not involve a complete change. To repent means to turn away from what we had been doing and move in the opposite direction. But to pivot might simply mean to turn a quarter left, or 90 degrees to the right, so we can try an alternative approach. Which, honestly, is very easy to do. We just have to choose to adjust our perspective.
How can you do things differently this year? How can you view your circumstances and your life, and the people around you, in a different way that helps you to be kinder, more productive, more loving, and more hopeful and effective than you’ve been in the past?
I hope these insights have been helpful to you. These words have certainly helped me over the years. Perhaps God has something for you to focus on this year, too, that has nothing to do with my life experiences, but everything to do with yours. I hope you’ll be open to receiving such words. And I hope you have a blessed new year.
