BUILD: A WORD FOR 2026
I’ve never had a single one-word focus that carried across multiple years, but this year I realized that’s exactly what God has been speaking to me over the last three years. When I asked Him what His word was for 2026, I heard, “build,” and immediately knew this year would mark the culmination of a season.
As we talked, God reminded me of the word He gave me for 2024—alignment—and how He went before me, making the crooked places straight. That alignment prepared the ground for the foundation to be laid, and it required a great deal of excavating during that year. It included deep, piercing digging needed to set the structural beams in place, preparing them to carry the weight of what was coming. I was honestly relieved to see that year end, yet deeply grateful for what had been uprooted and removed, and I felt an expectancy stirring for what would follow.
Then came 2025, with the word structure. God gave me a picture of framing being erected and emphasized the importance of following His blueprints.What I didn’t anticipate was how much would be happening behind the scenes—or how long it would take. As the structure went up, so many unseen inner workings had to be installed, and that phase felt painstakingly slow. At times, it seemed like there wasn’t much to show for all the effort, even though essential work was being done beneath the surface.
When God spoke about 2026 being a year to build, I heard Him say, “Things will go faster now. The time-consuming aspects are complete. You’re going to see the rest come together much more quickly—the beautifying and finishing touches that make it ready for occupancy.”
He didn’t say a certificate of occupancy would be issued before year-end, but He did say it would be ready to be lived in for the foreseeable future.
I believe many of us have been in a similar multi-year season—first, the laying of a foundation that required hard (and sometimes stony) digging to create space. Then came the slow, often painstaking process of erecting the structure, where much of the work was hidden, and it felt like progress was minimal.
Now, I sense hope for what will feel accelerated compared to the last two years. There will still be important decisions to make, but this season carries a different kind of partnership with God. It’s as if He’s inviting us to “choose the paint colors and tile”—work that feels lighter, more creative, and “fun” compared to what came before.
KEYS FOR 2026
Recently, Psalm 27:13 has been a continual refrain: “I would have lost heart (other translations say ‘I had fainted’), unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”I believe this verse holds a cornerstone key for 2026, along with a few others.
“Believed” comes from the Hebrew word aman, which means “to build up or support.” To build, we must believe—especially if we are to complete what God has begun without losing heart or fainting along the way. This word also carries the meanings: to be firm, faithful, steadfast; to trust; to be permanent or quiet—important in the sense of not wavering, grumbling, or speaking words of unbelief.
As Western believers, we often assume that what God births, or what sits squarely in the center of His will, should be easy or painless. Yet Jesus tells us plainly in John 16:33 (AMP): “‘I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.’ [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]”
Psalm 27:13 is immediately followed by verse 14: “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!”
This isn’t just repetition about courage or finding our inner peace and strength in Him—it’s intentional reinforcement. In the original Hebrew, wait means “to entwine, tie together, bind together, and wrap tightly.” And courage means “to fasten upon, seize, be strong, strengthen, help, fortify, conquer, be constant, and hold fast.”
To build in 2026, it will require us to:
- Wait on God—positioned as those who are entwined, tied together, and wrapped tightly with Him.
- Remain courageous—fastened to Him, fortified in our inner worlds, holding fast to what He has spoken and shown us.
- Find our peace in Him, even when storms rage, and we find ourselves standing in the middle of them.
Trials, tribulations, and suffering are opportunities to trust the Lord rather than be offended by Him. He has overcome everything we face, and His victory is ours. Knowing this, we can be filled with joy.
Some people say they’ll “never build a house again” because of how difficult the process was—and I get that. I can’t promise the build of 2026 will be easy, but I do know this: He is in it. He makes all things beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Believing in Him keeps us from losing heart. And I truly believe this is the quicker part of the process—the season where transformation and completion happen much more swiftly.
I can’t wait to see what the Lord builds in each of our lives this year!
If you need a word of encouragement, a prayer, a friend . . . reach out - I would love to connect with you!
Living for Him,
Andrea
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