Introduction
A move, a project that collapses, a breakup, a mistake that weighs on you, or simply a desire for change: there are times when you want to start everything over. The Bible often speaks of new beginnings, and its message is clear: God loves to do a new thing. These 20 verses, quoted from the World English Bible, move in five steps: God makes things new, leaving the past behind, getting up after a fall, setting out, and then not going alone. Read one a day and write down what you want to entrust to him.
God Does a New Thing
1. Isaiah 43:18-19
"Don’t remember the former things, and don’t consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing. It springs out now. Don’t you know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."
God tells his people in exile to stop dwelling on the past, because he is about to do a new thing: a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. Situations that seem impossible are not impossible for him. Watch for what he is already beginning. Read all of Isaiah 43.
2. Revelation 21:5
"He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He said, “Write, for these words of God are faithful and true."
The one who sits on the throne declares: I am making all things new. The book of Revelation ends with these words of hope. A new beginning is in God's heart, and what he does for the world, he starts right now in the lives of those who entrust themselves to him. Read all of Revelation 21.
3. Isaiah 42:9
"Behold, the former things have happened and I declare new things. I tell you about them before they come up."
God reminds us that the former things have happened and that he declares new things before they spring forth. He keeps his word. When the past has taught you disappointment, this verse invites you to trust him for what is coming. Read all of Isaiah 42.
4. Psalm 51:10-12
"Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Don’t throw me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Uphold me with a willing spirit."
David prays after his great sin: create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit within me, restore to me the joy of your salvation. God does not merely forgive, he renews. This psalm is a model prayer for anyone who wants to start over. Read all of Psalm 51.
Leaving the Past Behind
5. Philippians 3:13-14
"Brothers, I don’t regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do: forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Paul, who had persecuted the church before meeting Christ, writes that he forgets what lies behind and presses on toward the goal. Forgetting does not mean denying: it means refusing to let the past dictate what comes next. He invites you to move forward, one step after another. Read all of Philippians 3.
6. Joel 2:25
"I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the great locust, the grasshopper, and the caterpillar, my great army, which I sent among you."
Through the prophet Joel, God promises his people to restore the years that the locust has eaten. Lost years, missed opportunities and mistakes are not beyond his reach. You can entrust to him what you regret and wait for him to restore. Read all of Joel 2.
7. Isaiah 38:17
"Behold, for peace I had great anguish, but you have in love for my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for you have cast all my sins behind your back."
King Hezekiah, healed from a serious illness, acknowledges that his great anguish led to peace and that God has cast all his sins behind his back. The past is behind God, so it is behind you too. What made you suffer can become a foothold for what follows. Read all of Isaiah 38.
8. Psalm 103:12
"As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."
David compares the distance between east and west with the distance between God and our transgressions. These two points never meet. God did not just forgive: he put an infinite distance between you and your past. Read all of Psalm 103.
Getting Up After a Fall
9. 1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
John affirms that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The door to a new start opens with a sincere confession. Telling God things as they are is the first step toward a new life. Read all of 1 John 1.
10. Proverbs 24:16
"for a righteous man falls seven times and rises up again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity."
The righteous falls seven times, and rises up again. This proverb does not say that the righteous never fall, but that they do not stay down. The difference lies in the ability to get up, with God's help and the help of others, after each fall. Read all of Proverbs 24.
11. Romans 8:1
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."
Paul proclaims that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Condemnation does not come from God, even if it can come from your conscience or from others. This verse frees you from the verdict you sometimes pass on yourself. Read all of Romans 8.
12. Psalm 40:2-3
"He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay. He set my feet on a rock, and gave me a firm place to stand. He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our God. Many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in Yahweh."
David testifies that God brought him up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, set his feet on a rock and put a new song in his mouth. The path of a new beginning goes through deliverance, then through praise. Your story can inspire others. Read all of Psalm 40.
Setting Out
13. Isaiah 30:21
"and when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way. Walk in it."
God promises that your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, this is the way, walk in it. In a new beginning, we are often afraid of taking the wrong direction. This verse reassures: God knows how to guide to the right and to the left, step by step. Read all of Isaiah 30.
14. Psalm 37:23-24
"A man’s steps are established by Yahweh. He delights in his way. Though he stumble, he shall not fall, for Yahweh holds him up with his hand."
A man's steps are established by the Lord, and he delights in his way. If he stumbles, he does not fall, for the Lord holds him up with his hand. A new start is not without missteps, but the Lord does not let go of the hand of the one who walks with him. Read all of Psalm 37.
15. Genesis 12:1-2
"Now Yahweh said to Abram, “Leave your country, and your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing."
God asks Abram to leave his country and his father's house for a land he will show him, with the promise of a blessing. Everything begins with a departure without a map. A new beginning often asks for a step of faith before you see what comes next. Read all of Genesis 12.
16. Hebrews 11:8
"By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went."
The author of the letter to the Hebrews comments on Abraham's departure: by faith he obeyed and went out, not knowing where he went. Faith does not wait to understand everything before moving. It listens to God and walks, leaning on him at every step. Read all of Hebrews 11.
Not Setting Out Alone
17. Exodus 33:14
"He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Moses fears leading the people without God's presence. God answers him that his presence will go with him and that he will give him rest. What you seek in a new beginning, a place of peace, comes first through his presence at your side. Read all of Exodus 33.
18. Deuteronomy 31:6
"Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them; for Yahweh your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you."
Moses encourages the people to be strong and courageous, because the Lord will go with them and will not forsake them. This promise is repeated several times in the Bible. It fits anyone who is about to enter a new season. Read all of Deuteronomy 31.
19. Isaiah 43:2
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and flame will not scorch you."
God promises to be with his people when they pass through the waters or walk through the fire. He does not promise to remove the trials, but to be present in them. For a new beginning, this means that the difficulties will not overwhelm you. Read all of Isaiah 43.
20. Matthew 28:20
"teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen."
Jesus ends the Gospel of Matthew with a promise to his disciples: he is with them always, to the end of the age. Not only on easy days. Every new beginning can lean on this presence that does not change. Read all of Matthew 28.
Further reading
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Bible verse is good for a new beginning?
Isaiah 43:18-19 is the most quoted: God is about to do a new thing. 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Revelation 21:5 also speak of starting over. To leave the past behind, Philippians 3:13-14 is a simple and powerful landmark.
Can God really start everything over?
The Bible affirms it: God forgives, renews the heart and opens new paths (Psalm 51:12, Isaiah 43:19). He does not remove the consequences of the past, but he goes with you and gives you the chance to start again on a new foundation.
How can I pray at the start of a new chapter?
Thank God for what has happened, even the hard parts, entrust to him what you are leaving behind and ask for his direction for what comes next. You can pray Psalm 51:10-12 or simply tell him your fears and your hopes.