God Offers Second Chances
By Rick Warren — 11/05/2026
"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)
The Bible is full of people who got a second chance. God is the God of second chances—and hundredth and thousandth chances!
Abraham, who is called the father of faith, pretended his wife was his sister because he didn’t have faith that God would protect him. Moses murdered someone. Jonah ran from his assignment. Rahab worked as a prostitute. David took Bathsheba, another man’s wife, then arranged for her husband Uriah’s death. And yet many of these people are in God's “hall of fame” in Hebrews 11.
God loves to give second chances. If you had to be perfect to receive God’s grace, no one would stand a chance!
Job got some great advice that you can follow, too, to recover what has been lost in your life and return to God's original plan for you. Job’s friend Zophar urged him to turn to God with courage and hope: "Put your heart right, Job. Reach out to God. Put away evil and wrong from your home. Then face the world again, firm and courageous. Then all your troubles will fade from your memory, like floods that are past and remembered no more. Your life will be brighter than sunshine at noon, and life’s darkest hours will shine like the dawn. You will live secure and full of hope; God will protect you and give you rest” (Job 11:13-18 GNT).
When you repent of your mistakes, God always offers another chance. You only have to reach out to him, and you will be able to face the world and your future again with courage and hope.
If you want to move forward into God’s awesome dream for your life, then you’re going to have to shut the door on the past. You're going to have to give up your grief, your guilt, and your grudges so that you can move forward in faith.
"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV).
The darkest days of your past will shine like the dawn. Streams will spring up in the wasteland of your pain.
Hallelujah! This is what Jesus offers to you today when you submit to him and his dream for your life.
Talk It Over
In what ways have you been dwelling on the past?
Grief, guilt, and grudges—which one of these most keeps you from looking to the future with hope?
Do you believe that God’s promises in the Bible are for you? How have you seen him keep his promises to you?
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