Scripture Promises to Cling to When You’re Starting Over
I know a little about starting over. In 2008, I packed up and moved over 400 miles away from everything that was familiar. I didn’t know how we were going to make it. All I knew was that God was asking me to trust Him.
There were moments I felt brave. There were also moments I cried and second-guessing everything.
But along the way, I discovered something powerful: God’s Word holds steady when everything else feels like shifting sand. If you’re starting over, you don’t need all the answers. But you do need promises to hold on to, truths that anchor you when fear and doubt creep in.
In this post, I want to share some of the Scripture promises that carried me through, along with biblical stories that reminded me I wasn’t the first to step into something new with trembling hands and a surrendered heart.
1. When You Feel Afraid: God Goes Before You
Scripture Promise:
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” – Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)
I remember the day we arrived in our new city. I stood in the kitchen of our rental home, surrounded by unopened boxes and unfamiliar silence. Everything looked different. Everything felt uncertain.
The comfort of routine was gone. The safety net of community was 400 miles behind me. But in that stillness, this verse echoed in my spirit: The Lord Himself goes before you.
I wasn’t blazing a trail alone. I was simply walking a path God had already prepared.
This Scripture reminds me of Joshua stepping into the Promised Land after years of wandering. God didn’t promise him ease. but He promised His presence.
And friend, if you’re walking into a new season with fear sitting heavy on your chest, remember: God is already where you’re going. He’s in the schoolroom, the job interview, the church lobby, the apartment lease. You are not showing up alone.
2. When You Feel Unqualified: God Equips the Called
Scripture Promise:
“Now may the God of peace… equip you with everything good for doing his will.” – Hebrews 13:20–21 (NIV)
Homeschooling was a big reason why we moved. But if I’m being completely honest, I was afraid to start.
I didn’t have a teaching degree. Shoot, I barely graduated high school. I had no clue how to structure a school day or pick the “right” curriculum. But I did have children who needed me to launch their educational journey. And I had a God who promised to equip me for the job.
Moses also knew the fear of feeling unqualified. When God called him to lead Israel out of Egypt, he had every excuse: I stutter. I’m not a good speaker. I’m not the right one. But God wasn’t asking Moses to be perfect. He was asking him to be obedient.
If you’re in a season where you feel like you’re in over your head, hold on to this: God doesn’t expect you to show up fully formed. He equips you as you go.
You don’t need to be perfect to start. You just need to say yes.
3. When You Feel Forgotten: God Sees and Cares
Scripture Promise:
“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” – Psalm 56:8 (NLT)
There were quiet evenings in our new home when I felt deeply unseen.
No one in this city knew my story. I wasn’t “so-and-so’s friend” anymore. I was just… the new girl. The one starting over. The one trying to build a life from scratch while wondering if she’d made the right decision.
In those moments, Psalm 56:8 was like a balm to my soul.
God saw every tear, every prayer, every silent ache of my heart. He wasn’t indifferent to my loneliness. He was with me in it.
Hagar, in Genesis 16, felt this same kind of forgotten. Alone in the desert, she cried out and God met her there. She gave Him the name El Roi, “the God who sees me.”
So, if you’re feeling invisible right now, let me gently remind you: You are not overlooked. You are intimately known and deeply loved.
4. When You Feel Worn Out: God Renews Your Strength
Scripture Promise:
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary.” – Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
Starting over is exhausting.
There were nights I fell into bed with dishes in the sink, lessons unfinished, and a growing to-do list that haunted me. I felt like I had to prove something to others, to myself, even to God.
But striving leads to burnout and surrender leads to rest.
This promise in Isaiah reminded me that my strength doesn’t come from hustle. It comes from hope. Not wishful thinking, but confident expectation in a God who sees, supplies, and sustains.
Elijah, the prophet, once found himself burned out under a broom tree, begging God to let him quit. And what did God do? He didn’t lecture him. He fed him. He let him rest. Then He gave him strength to keep going.
So if you’re running on empty today, cling to this: God isn’t asking you to hustle harder. He’s inviting you to rest in Him.
5. When You Feel Like Nothing Is Working: God Is Doing Something New
Scripture Promise:
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” – Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)
There was a season during our move where it felt like everything I tried fell flat. I was applying for part-time jobs and getting no responses. I was trying to make connections and facing silence. I was wrestling with loneliness and wondering where this new life was even headed.
But slowly and quietly, God started to unfold new things.
A Friday faith-based outreach program led to a part-time, then a full-time job, a new church family and more opportunities than I can shake a stick at.
It wasn’t part of my “plan.” But it was part of God’s.
Joseph didn’t know that betrayal by his brothers and time in prison would lead to him becoming second-in-command in Egypt. But God was working behind the scenes all along.
When you feel like you’re just treading water, remember this: Just because you can’t see it yet doesn’t mean God isn’t doing something new.
6. When You Don’t Know What’s Next: God Directs Your Steps
Scripture Promise:
“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him.” – Psalm 37:23–24 (NIV)
Some days, the hardest part of starting over is not knowing what’s next.
Many times. I wanted answers. I wanted to be able to check off the boxes and feel some sense of accomplishment (where are my planner friends?)
Ruth knew this tension well. After losing her husband, she followed her mother-in-law Naomi to a foreign land with no job, no security, and no idea what the future held. She simply said, “Where you go, I will go.”
That act of obedience led her to Boaz’s field and eventually into the lineage of Jesus.
So, if today feels foggy, unclear, or directionless, here’s your truth: God is not a God of chaos. He is ordering your steps, even when they feel small.
7. When You Wonder If It’s Worth It: God Finishes What He Starts
Scripture Promise:
“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” – Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
Starting over is brave. But staying the course is holy.
There were moments when I wanted to pack up and go back. Moments when I missed the familiar. Moments when I doubted whether I was doing any of it “right.”
But I’ve seen enough of God’s faithfulness now to know that He finishes what He starts.
The same God who called Abraham out of Ur, who called Esther into the palace, who called Peter onto the water is the same God calling you into this next thing.
And He’s not leaving you halfway through.
If you’re starting over today, I want you to know something:
You are not behind. You are not lost. You are not forgotten.
You are being led, loved, and carried by a God who is completely trustworthy.
He sees the whole picture, even when all you can see is the next small step.
He knows what this new season will unlock in you. He’s already in your tomorrow. And He is weaving every hard moment into a testimony you’ll tell someday with joy.
So cling to His Word. Let it be your compass, your anchor, your daily bread. Speak these promises over your life. Write them on sticky notes. Pray them out loud. Believe them, especially when it’s hard.
And most of all? Don’t try to do it alone. Let God walk with you and lean on others who love Him too.
A Prayer for When You’re Starting Over
Father,
Thank You for being steady when everything around me is shifting. Thank You for going before me, walking beside me, and staying with me when I feel overwhelmed or uncertain. Lord, I surrender this new beginning to You. I confess that I’m afraid sometimes, and unsure of what comes next, but I trust You more than my feelings.
Remind me that I don’t have to have all the answers to be in the center of Your will. Speak peace into the parts of my heart that still feel unsettled. Show me where You are working, even when I can’t see it yet. Help me cling to Your promises and believe them with my whole heart.
Strengthen me when I feel weak. Equip me for what You’ve called me to. And guide me every step of the way. Thank You for being the God who never wastes a season and always finishes what He starts.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
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Regina is a writer, homeschooling mom, and owner of a comfort food catering business. A contributor to several publications, she is also an advocate for young adults with developmental disabilities and serves on the Compel Pro volunteer leadership team. Living in Ohio with her family, she designs Squarespace websites for fellow creatives and spends her free time cheering her sons from the sidelines or sipping tea while chatting about God’s goodness with women.
