Jeremiah 32:17, English Standard Version

“Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.”

Many people like to say something like, “I hope I can go back and change the decision that I made.” When someone gives a statement like this, you can hear regret, unrest, and disappointment in their tone of voice. The matter may still carry a heavy weight on them. This is why I believe movies about time travel are so popular, because somehow, they give hope.

Have you ever read or heard a Scripture which says, “…With people [as far as it depends on them] it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26, Amplified Bible)

Our hope can never be found in this world. No matter how creative or wonderful human imagination may sound, it is not possible as far as it depends on mankind. However, there is a promise and a confidence we can have—the hope that is in God. First, I want you to know how powerful our God is! He is not limited by time, and yet He moves beyond time, and the time He created is also in His hands.

“Isaiah answered, ‘This is the Lord’s sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?’ ^‘It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,’ said Hezekiah. ‘Rather, have it go back ten steps.’ Then the prophet Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.” (2 Kings 20:9-11, NIV)

In ancient times, people knew the time simply by watching the movement of the sun. So, what the Lord did for Hezekiah literally turned time backward. Time travel is no challenge for God at all! He sees and knows the beginning and the end, and to Him, He is everlasting - always existing, always present. Therefore, if our God can do this, why would we hold on to regret, unrest, or disappointment, or allow those thoughts to drag us down? He did not only create the earth and the heavens; He can erase them and make them new at any time. But listen to this: “For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9, NLT)

Our God is a present God. He does not want us to look back and remain there; He wants us to move forward. (Isaiah 43:18–19; Luke 9:62; Genesis 19:26) When Adam and Eve sinned against Him, He did not turn time backward and allow them to choose again. He chose His higher way—redemption! Why? Because no matter how many times we could go back, we would still make another mistake and sin again. “With people [as far as it depends on them] it is impossible…” to save themselves from the wages of sin. It is only through the One who has no sin that we are redeemed, through the price He paid.

Second, never forget that the Lord God Almighty is not only powerful—the greatest truth is this: He loves you! He knows what is best, and He has given you the best for your life: salvation through a Savior who cannot fail. It is time for us to continue to humble ourselves, submit to God, and allow His way to redeem our regret.