One of the hardest things in life is having to start over when things don’t go the way you hoped. You give your all, whether it’s in your work, your relationships, or your goals with the expectation that your efforts will bring about something good. But sometimes, even when you’ve poured your heart into it, you’re left with disappointment. And that can be a devastating blow.
Especially when it happens more than once.
Getting up after the first disappointment is hard, but manageable. There’s still that bit of hope left inside you, that flicker of belief that things might change. But when you find yourself having to bounce back again, and again… that’s where the real struggle begins. Over time, you start to lose the joy, the motivation, the will to keep trying. The passion begins to fade. And eventually, you feel like you have nothing left to give.
You feel yourself slowly giving up on everything, not because you want to, but because you just don’t know how to keep going anymore.
“For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.”
— Proverbs 24:16 (NKJV)
Let that verse sink in.
Even the righteous, the ones walking with God, trying their best – fall. Not once. Not twice. But seven times. And yet, they rise again. It’s not about how many times you fall. It’s about being willing to get back up. Again and again, no matter how many times life knocks you down.
When you find yourself in that dark, heavy place, when getting out of bed feels like a task, when you feel like you’re living in a fog, just going through the motions, this verse is your reminder. You can rise again. Not because you’re strong enough, but because God is.
I know it’s not easy. But hear me,giving up isn’t easy either. Watching yourself lose hope, lose joy, lose interest in life, that’s not easy. There’s a different kind of pain in knowing you’re giving up, while still wishing you could hold on. It’s a battle between what you feel and what you want to feel.
When that battle gets too loud, too confusing, too draining, turn to the Lord.
Pray. Even about the things you think aren’t worth praying about.
The Bible says prayer answers all things. That includes the silent battles. The daily struggles. The things that feel too small or too heavy to say out loud.
Pour out your heart to God. Tell Him the truth. Ask Him for strength when you feel weak. Ask Him for hope when you feel numb. Ask Him to carry you through one more day, even if all you can do is take one small step. That’s enough.
Here’s a prayer for when you’re feeling tired, empty, and ready to quit:
A Prayer for Starting Again
Dear God, I'm tired.
Tired of trying. Tired of hoping. Tired of believing, only to be disappointed again.
Some days, it feels like I’m stuck in a loop, showing up, but not really living.
I don’t want to keep going through the motions anymore.
I want to feel alive again. I want to believe again.
But Lord, I can’t do it on my own.
I need You.
I need Your strength in my weakness.
I need Your hope when my heart feels numb.
I need Your voice to silence the lies that tell me, “this is all there is.”
Father, help me to start again, not in my strength, but in Yours.
Remind me that even when I’ve failed or fallen, You still have a plan for my life.
You are still the God who makes all things new.
Teach me to trust Your process, even when I don’t understand it.
Help me to see beyond what I feel and to anchor myself in what You’ve said:
That I am loved. That I am chosen. That I am more than a conqueror.
I may not see the full picture yet, but today, I choose to take one small step.
I choose to believe You’re still with me.
That You’re not done with me. That better days are ahead.
Lift me out of this heaviness.
Fill my heart with Your peace.
Restore the joy I’ve lost.
And if all I can do today is whisper Your name, let that be enough.
Thank You for never giving up on me.
Thank You for walking with me, even in the silence.
Thank You for fresh starts and new mercies.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Beginning again doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you’re brave enough to believe that God can still do something beautiful with your life. You’re not behind. You’re not forgotten. You’re right on time,for a fresh start with Him.
So hold on. Breathe. And begin again. Because God’s not finished with you yet.
Meditate on These Verses as You Start Again
Isaiah 43:18–19
“Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Philippians 3:13–14
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Joel 2:25
“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…”
Revelation 21:5
“Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’
And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’”
