Don’t Let Regret Defeat You

Lord, can regret over past mistakes ever be a good thing?

The kind of sorrow I want you to experience leads you away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow.

2 Corinthians 7:10

What is an example of heartfelt regret over sin?

Ezra fell to his knees and lifted his hands to me. He prayed, “O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens. From the days of our ancestors until now, we have been steeped in sin. O LORD, God of Israel, you are just. We come before you in our guilt, though in such a condition none of us can stand in your presence.”

Ezra 9:5-7, 15

What can I pray to turn regret into renewal?

Those who look to you for help, Lord, will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken our faces.

Psalm 34:5

Recall a moment of regret when you had really messed up. What feelings accompany this memory? Shame? Embarrassment? Sometimes those memories can be divine moments where God meets you in your regret and uses it to turn your life in a new direction. You are not meant to stay stuck in remorse. Confess it to the Lord and ask for his forgiveness. Begin your prayer with your hands over your face; then remove your hands as a symbol that the shadow of shame is no longer with you.