There are moments in the life of a believer when moving forward feels harder than staying where we are. Not because God has stopped moving, but because the unknown can feel more uncomfortable than our familiar stomping ground. Sometimes we confuse familiarity with safety and comfort with blessing. We look back on earlier seasons, remembering how God moved then, how provision seemed easier, how favor felt more visible, and we quietly wonder if those were our “best days.” But a God who is eternal does not peak in the past. He is the God of the impossible, and His nature is always forward-moving.

When God delivered the children of Israel from slavery, you would expect gratitude to be their first response. Instead, fear and discomfort made them long for what was familiar, even though it had once oppressed them. Exodus 14:11 (NLT) captures this moment clearly: “and they said to Moses, ‘Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?’” Freedom required trust, and trust felt risky. Deliverance had moved them forward physically, but their hearts were still looking backward.

That same pull shows up in believers today. Before we fully step into God’s promises, the enemy often tempts us to romanticize former seasons, especially times when we felt blessed, favored, or secure. Regression feels safer than faith because the past is familiar. But the enemy understands something we sometimes forget: spiritual growth brings glory to God. He wants us stalled, longing for what God already delivered us from, because moving forward requires believing that our latter days will be greater than our former ones. Everything God has ahead of us is worth releasing what He already broke off of us.

Faith does not pray to go back. Faith sounds like, “Father, I don’t understand what’s happening, but I trust You.” Genesis 19:26 (NLT) gives a sobering warning: “But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.” Looking back wasn’t just curiosity, it was attachment. The message is clear: Don’t cling to what God has called you to leave behind. There are some things from the past that we cannot carry into a new season. You can’t drive forward while staring in the rearview mirror. Memories may come with us, but dependence, identity, and expectation must move ahead with God.

This is why the apostle Paul speaks with so much clarity. Philippians 3:13–14 (NLT) tells us, “No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Paul understood that moving forward with God requires focus and intention. You can’t keep reaching for what God has ahead while holding tightly to what He’s already brought you through. Pressing forward means letting go of the need to replay old victories, old failures, or even old seasons where things felt easier or more blessed. God doesn’t ask us to live off yesterday’s grace. He invites us into fresh faith, deeper trust, and new territory. When God nudges you forward, don’t hesitate or keep looking back. Move with Him fully, trusting that what’s ahead will reveal His goodness in ways the past never could. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Never Pray to Go Backwards”, written for DomesticAbuseAwareness.Org ©2026. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!