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Isaiah 43:18–19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

Think

In 1974, George Foreman stood in the ring against Muhammad Ali in what became one of the most famous fights in boxing history. It was called “The Rumble in the Jungle.” Foreman was young, powerful, and expected to win. But in the eighth round, Ali delivered a flurry of punches that sent Foreman to the mat. The crowd erupted. The champ was dethroned. And for many, that was the end of the story. Except it wasn’t.

Ten years later, George Foreman stepped into the ring again. This time, he was older, heavier, and slower. The world had moved on. No one expected much. But in 1994, at the age of 45, Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer and reclaimed the heavyweight title. That win made him the oldest heavyweight champion in history.

And that was just the beginning. His real legacy didn’t stop in the ring. It included peace, purpose, and yes, even a grill that would find its way into millions of kitchens. The encore of his life was greater than the opening act.

That is what God does. He writes comeback stories. He revives people the world has counted out. He takes what looks like a loss and turns it into legacy.

Isaiah 43 gives us a glimpse into how God works. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” That sounds a little strange at first, especially considering that the Bible often tells us to remember what God has done. But here, God is saying something deeper. He is not asking you to forget his faithfulness. He is asking you to stop living stuck in your own failures or even your own former victories. Because he is doing something new.

When we dwell on the past, we often do it in two ways. Some of us replay regret like a broken record. We think about everything that went wrong—what we said, what we lost, what we wish we could do over. Others of us live in nostalgia, believing that the best days are behind us, that we’ve already peaked, and now we’re just coasting. Both perspectives block us from seeing the new thing God is doing right now.

What if God wants to bring your greatest impact out of your deepest wound? What if the most fruitful season of your life is not behind you but ahead of you?

Maybe the relationship didn’t work out. Maybe the job was lost. Maybe your plans have completely unraveled. Maybe you feel like you missed your moment. But if God is still breathing life into your lungs, then he is still breathing purpose into your future. It didn’t end in round eight.

God is not limited by age, failure, status, or history. He can redeem years the enemy tried to steal. He can revive what looked dead. He can bring beauty from ashes and strength from surrender. And most of the time, the new thing he is doing does not come in the way we expect.

When Israel heard this promise in Isaiah 43, they were in exile. Their temple had been destroyed. Their identity felt shaken. But God said, “See, I am doing a new thing.” Not a repeat. Not a copy of the past. Something fresh. Something they could not fully perceive at the moment.

And that is often the challenge. New things are hard to see at first. They usually don’t come with headlines or neon signs. They come quietly. Through small open doors. Through relationships we didn’t expect. Through healing that starts slow but grows deep. The key is to look for it. “Do you not perceive it?” God asks.

That is our invitation. To lift our eyes from what was and look for what could be. To believe that even after heartbreak, burnout, disappointment, or failure, God is still writing the story.

The temptation is to quit too soon. To assume that if God was going to move, he would have done it by now. But spiritual life is not about flash. It is about faithfulness. It is about staying in the ring, not because you’re still strong, but because you believe the God who brought you through before still has more to say.

This is not the time to sit down. This is not the time to check out. This is the time to lean in. To expect more. To pray bigger. To believe again.

Foreman could have accepted that his best moment ended in 1974. But he believed there was more. And what came next wasn’t just a win—it was a new identity. He became known not only as a fighter but as a man of faith, peace, and purpose. And millions know his name now, not because of a title, but because he kept going.

Your life may look different than you imagined. You may not be where you thought you’d be by now. But God’s encore might not look like a return to the past. It might look like a reinvention. A new rhythm. A deeper peace. A broader influence. A quieter but more powerful kind of strength.

God’s “new thing” is not a lesser version of what was. It is the next chapter of who you are becoming. You are not too old. It is not too late. And the fight is not finished. The bell has not rung. The curtain has not dropped. God is not done.

Apply

Think about an area of your life that feels over or past its prime. Ask God to help you see it with new eyes. Write down one bold hope or dream for the future, no matter how unlikely it seems. Keep it somewhere visible this week as a reminder that God is not finished.

Pray

God, I want to believe you are doing something new in me. Help me stop living stuck in the past. Give me eyes to see what you are growing, even if it starts small. I trust that your plans for my future are greater than what I’ve left behind. In Jesus’ name. Amen.