God in the Rearview: Seeing His Hand in the Year Behind You

This post is by Lindsey Bell.

When my son was a new driver, he backed out of our garage one morning…without realizing the door was still closed. 

Thankfully, he wasn’t hurt, and the damage was minimal, but there’s still a dent in the garage door to this day. 

He wasn’t being careless. (He’s actually a pretty good driver.) He was just so focused on moving forward that he forgot to look back. 

That little mishap taught me something: when we don’t take time to look back, we can end up doing damage as we move ahead.

Spiritually speaking, I do the same thing far too often. I love dreaming about what’s next, but sometimes I get so focused on what’s ahead that I forget to pause and look in the rearview mirror. 

I’m learning, though, that it’s often in looking back that we see God’s faithfulness most clearly.

Why We Need to Look Back

 The new year invites fresh starts and forward motion. We buy planners, make resolutions, and set goals for what’s coming. But if we skip reflection, we miss the wisdom that comes from remembering.

Philosopher John Dewey once said, “We do not learn from experience; we learn from reflecting on experience.”

The same is true in our spiritual lives. God doesn’t simply want us to live through our days. He wants us to learn from them.

Throughout Scripture, God called His people to remember.

When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, they built a pile of stones to remind future generations what God had done (Joshua 4).

The psalmist wrote, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds” (Psalm 77:11–12).

Reflection is an act of worship. When we look back, we’re not dwelling on the past but instead recognizing God’s fingerprints in it.

Seeing God’s Hand in the Year Behind You

If you’re like me, the past year probably held both beauty and difficulty, answered prayers and unanswered ones, laughter and loss, joy and fatigue.

Looking back with God doesn’t mean pretending everything was easy. It means asking, Where did I see God’s faithfulness? What did He teach me? How did He sustain me?

Here are a few gentle prompts to help you reflect:

• What prayers did God answer, perhaps in surprising ways?
• What moments stretched your faith?
• What did you learn about God’s character?
• What blessings did you overlook in the busyness of life?

Take a quiet moment to ask the Holy Spirit to show you His presence this year. You might even open your calendar or scroll through your photos, pausing to remember where God met you. You may be surprised at how many places His hand was steadying you when you didn’t even realize it.

Looking Back Builds Faith for What’s Ahead

When we review the past, we gain perspective.

We remember how God carried us through hard seasons, how He provided at just the right time, and how He kept His promises even when life didn’t go as planned.

That kind of remembering strengthens our faith for the road ahead. It reminds us that the same God who was faithful behind us will be faithful before us.

My son still laughs (and cringes) when he sees the dent in our garage door. But I kind of love that reminder. It tells a story, not just of a driving mistake, but of a lesson learned.

My son learned to check his mirrors before backing up, and I’m learning to check mine before rushing ahead spiritually. 

So before you rush ahead into the new year, take one last look in the rearview mirror at all God has done in the year behind you. 

Because in doing so, you might find that what’s behind you is the clearest evidence that you can trust God with whatever lies ahead. 

About Lindsey Bell: 

Lindsey is the author of two books, Unbeaten and Searching for Sanity, as well as the ghostwriter of an International Bestselling book. She is a contributing author to various other books including: Hello Mornings Bible studies, the Abba’s Heart devotional collection, and the Big Dreams from Small Spaces devotional. Lindsey’s desire is to inspire and encourage women through honest dialogue about faith, family, and learning to love the life she’s been given. As a woman who has lost four babies to miscarriage, Lindsey loves helping others find God in the midst of heartache. Find Lindsey online at www.lindseymbell.com.

Lindsey lives with her once-high-school-sweetheart-now-husband, Keith, her two children, and her dog that never leaves her side, Champion. She’s an avid reader and a lover of all things chocolate. With teenage children, Lindsey is busy shuttling them around to their various activities, attending baseball and football games and cross country meets, and watching them grow up WAY too fast! 

Photo by Mark Neal on Unsplash