A Prayer to Release the Past and Embrace the Future - Your Daily Prayer - January 2

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A Prayer to Release the Past and Embrace the Future
By Clarence Haynes

Bible Reading:
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 3:13-14

Listen or Read Below:

Every car has a rearview mirror. This mirror allows you to see if there are cars around you so you can change lanes safely. The purpose of the mirror is for you to glance at it quickly, observe, and determine when it is safe to change lanes. The rearview mirror is small, and the windshield is large because your primary focus must be on the road ahead. You were never meant to drive forward while constantly looking in the rearview mirror. Doing that will inevitably lead you to crash. At best, you'll swerve off course; at worst, you'll cause a collision that affects not only you but those around you.

Life is very much the same way. It is easy to get stuck looking at your past to the point where you end up crashing your future. We all have things in our past that we seem unable to forget. Maybe it’s the poor decision you made that cost you your marriage, your business, or even your health. The memory reel of that conversation, that missed opportunity, or that careless moment can play on a loop, stealing your present peace. Sometimes it is not even a mistake you made but something that was done to you. Yet, it can have the same devastating effect. Regardless of what happened, there is something you must understand. It is in your rearview. No matter how much you lament over it, there is nothing you can do to change it, so that leaves you with two choices. You can lament, or you can learn.

Are you a lamenter or a learner?

Lamenters look at their past and hold on to it because they either can’t or don’t know how to let it go. Learners take the lessons from their past and use them to make better and wiser decisions for their future. One of these choices moves you forward while the other keeps you stuck. I think you know which one does which.

If you are going to release your past and embrace your future, you must move from being a lamenter to being a learner. However, please don’t think you must arrive there on your own. Here are three areas of help available to you:

1. The Holy Spirit - He is critical in helping you overcome the pain of past failures, helping you to receive the forgiveness of Christ, and to learn the lessons you need to learn from your past. He can help you view your past through the lens of God’s grace, rather than your own regret.

2. Professional Counseling - We can depend on the Holy Spirit, and we can seek help to deal with the effects of our past. One does not cancel the other. It is okay to talk with someone who can help you navigate your past and deal with how it is affecting your present and future. God will often use people in these situations to help you heal.

Friends - Friends can walk with you through these seasons and be a significant source of support, prayer, and accountability. Seek friends who will speak the truth in love and who will walk with you for the duration.

Overcoming your past is not always easy, but it is possible. It is an active process that may require some effort on your part, but with God’s help, it can be accomplished. Everything God has for you is in the future. Don’t allow your past to stop you from walking into it. Remember, destiny is not something behind you but something in front of you.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,

I bring my past before you. I acknowledge my struggles with past mistakes and the choices I have made. But I also wrestle with things that were done to me. Yet, you tell me to cast all my anxieties upon you because you care for me. That is what I do today. Help me give you every aspect of my past that I am holding onto. Whether it is guilt, shame, or anger, I release it to you. Help me leave it there, and in exchange, I pray you will give me freedom from my past so I can step into the future you have for me. Give me grace to live with my eyes forward, only looking back to learn and apply those lessons as I move forward in you.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Share your reflections on today’s devotional in the Your Daily Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/francescoch 

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a dynamic speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club, dedicated to helping people live with purpose and clarity. In addition to his ministry work, Clarence has spent the last 13 years as a trusted financial educator, guiding thousands of people across the country—including employees at many Fortune 500 companies—toward lasting financial wellness. His unique ability to blend practical wisdom with spiritual insight equips people to thrive in every area of life.

He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose, which helps readers understand how God leads them into his will, and the author of The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has released his first course, Bible Study Basics, to achieve that goal. To learn more about his ministry and resources, please visit clarencehaynes.com.

Related Resource: Let God Reframe Your Year: A Psalm 107 Year-End Reflection

As we wrap up our year together, I want to invite you into this meaningful spiritual practice: looking back on the year through the lens of Psalm 107 to identify the “fingerprints of God’s faithfulness. In this episode, we'll walk through four redemptive storylines found in Psalm 107—each representing a way God rescues, restores, and reorients His people. Whether you felt lost, trapped, wounded, self-destructive, or overwhelmed by storms, I encourage you to reflect on how God met you in weakness and brought deliverance. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to subscribe to the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

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