Bible Verses About Regret: Lost Years and New Ones
Regret is the ache of looking back: the birthdays you missed, the money you spent, the people you hurt, the years that went by in a fog. The Bible doesn’t tell you to pretend it didn’t happen. It shows people weeping over their failures and then shows God giving them a future anyway. These verses are for when the past feels louder than today.
“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.”
Locusts ate everything, year after year. God promised to give those years back. Many people in recovery hold on to this verse. You may not get back the exact things you lost. But God can make the years ahead richer than the years behind.
Even the best fail badly
“And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.”
Peter swore he’d never deny Jesus. Then he did it three times, and Jesus turned and looked at him. Peter went out and wept bitterly. If you’ve ever broken a promise you meant with your whole heart, you know that night.
“He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”
Weeks later, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him. One question for each denial. Then He gave Peter work to do. Your failure doesn’t cancel your calling.
God can use what you regret
“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”
Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. Years later he told them that God used it for good. That doesn’t make what they did right. It means God is bigger than it.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Not everything is good. But God can work all things, even your worst years, toward good for those who love Him. Some of the best people to help a new person in recovery are the ones with the most regret.
“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.”
Beauty instead of ashes. Ashes are what’s left after something burns down. God doesn’t just sweep them up. He makes something beautiful in their place.
Restore the joy
“Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”
Regret can drain all the joy out of being forgiven. David asked for the joy back. You can ask for it too.
“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
Some seeds are planted with tears. The harvest still comes, and it comes with singing. The hard, honest work of early recovery is that kind of planting.
Look forward
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Paul had a past to regret: he had hunted down Christians. He didn’t pretend otherwise. But he chose not to live there. Forgetting doesn’t mean amnesia. It means the past no longer gets to steer.
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”
God chooses not to remember sins He’s forgiven. If He isn’t replaying your worst moments, you don’t have to either.
“But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God. My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.”
My times are in Your hand. The years behind you, the year you’re in, and the ones still coming. None of them are out of God’s reach.
What to do with regret
Regret is useful when it leads to action. If someone is still hurt by what you did, an honest amends can turn regret into peace. That’s what Step 9 is for. If what you regret is a recent slip, read relapse after sobriety and start again today.
What doesn’t help is drinking over it. Many people have tried to drown regret, and it keeps coming back up, heavier.
If regret has become hopelessness, call or text 988. Your life is worth more than your worst years.
A prayer for the lost years
“Father, I wasted years. I hurt people I love and missed things I can’t get back. I’m so sorry. You restored Peter after he failed You. Restore me. Give back what the locusts ate, in whatever way You choose. Help me stop living in the past and start living in today. Amen.”
One thing to do today
Write down one regret. Under it, write one thing you can still do about it, even a small thing: a call, an apology, a payment, a prayer. Do that one thing this week.
Common questions
What does the Bible say about regret?
It treats regret as real, and shows people weeping over what they did, like Peter after denying Jesus. But it never leaves them there. God restores, redeems and gives a future that the past can't cancel.
Can God give back wasted years?
Joel 2:25 is God's promise to restore the years the locusts ate. He may not give back the exact things you lost, but He can bring good out of them and fill the years ahead.
How do I stop dwelling on the past?
Make amends where you can, confess what's left to God, and then choose, day by day, to look forward. Paul calls it forgetting what's behind and pressing on (Philippians 3:13-14).
Talk it through with Jimmy or Sarah — first month free
Jimmy and Sarah are AI sponsors who know the Twelve Steps and the Bible. They'll listen, walk the steps with you, and keep pointing you to real people: a meeting, a sponsor, a church.
Free to download · first month free, no card · adults 18+
After the first month, talking with Jimmy or Sarah needs Plus ($9.99/month or $59.99/year).
Get the daily reading by email
One short reading a day: a verse, a few honest words, one thing to do and a prayer. Unsubscribe any time.
We'll send one email to confirm. We never share your address.