The Divine Reset: Navigating the Canvas of 2026

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:18–19 (ESV)

There is a unique tension that settles upon us on the first day of a new year. On one hand, we feel the thrill of potential; the calendar has turned to 2026, and it feels like standing before a blank canvas ready to be painted with vibrant colours, new experiences, and fresh encounters with God. But if we are honest, for many of us, the start of a new year doesn’t automatically carry a sense of hope. We do not arrive as blank slates. We arrive carrying the luggage of 2025: the disappointments that stung us, the failures that shamed us, and the losses that left us feeling hollow.

It is incredibly difficult to embrace the future when we are tethered to the past. This is why the words of the prophet Isaiah are so profound for us today. When God spoke the command to "remember not the former things," He was speaking to a people in exile—a people paralyzed by past glories lost and past sins committed. In the biblical tradition, to "remember" something means to let it dictate your present reality. God isn't asking for literal amnesia; He is asking for a shift in authority. He is declaring that your history does not have the final say over your destiny. If we stay stuck replaying our mistakes or nursing old wounds, we hinder ourselves from stepping into the "new thing" God is doing right now.

Returning to Your "Factory Settings"

We live in an age of digital exhaustion where our devices often become sluggish and unresponsive. When this happens, we don't smash the phone; we simply restore it to its original state through a reset. Many of us feel a profound kinship with that glitching phone as we enter 2026—frazzled, over-extended, and operating with too many "tabs" open in our brains. This soul-fatigue is often a sign that we are living contrary to our design.

A Divine Reset is about returning to the "factory settings" described in Psalm 139, where David reminds us that we were fearfully and wonderfully knitted together by God. You are not a random accident; you were crafted with a specific rhythm and purpose. We feel out of sync when we try to live as orphans who must hustle for worth rather than children who are already loved. To reset is to surrender and allow the Holy Spirit to "debug" our hearts—removing the viruses of fear, bitterness, and pride—and restoring the software of the Gospel.

The Battle for the Heart and Mind

The human heart has been described as a "perpetual idol factory". Even when we sincerely love God, our hearts are "prone to wander," often drifting toward good things—like work, dreams, or relationships—and turning them into "ultimate things". When these idols take the center of our affections, our lives become disordered. Because God is One, He demands an undivided heart. When He is in the prime position, everything else falls into its proper place: we love our families better, work with more integrity, and handle our resources with more wisdom.

This internal realignment requires us to be vigilant over our minds. In ancient Hebrew thought, the heart was the seat of the will and the intellect. This means your life moves in the direction of your strongest thoughts. To reset our thinking, we must undergo metanoia—a complete structural change of the mind. We often want God to change our circumstances, but He is primarily interested in changing us. This year, stand guard at the door of your mind and refuse to let every fear or insecurity make itself at home.

Reclaiming Your Rhythm and Vision

Finally, starting 2026 well requires us to reclaim the rhythm of rest. God wove a rhythm of work and rest into the fabric of the universe during creation, not because He was tired, but as a blueprint for human flourishing. The Sabbath is an act of resistance against the modern "Pharaohs" that demand endless productivity. It is a day to stop the hustle and declare that our worth is not found in what we produce, but in who we are as God's children. It takes intention and planning to ensure the Sabbath is a delight rather than just a day off, but it is the only way to "top up our empty tanks".

As we move forward, we must ask God to reset our vision. It is possible to have perfect eyesight and yet be spiritually blind to what God is doing. We need to see who God is sculpting us to be, what specific assignments He has for us in this season, and how He wants to use us to bring His Kingdom to our neighbourhoods and offices.

The canvas of 2026 is open. Do not paint it with the grey colours of yesterday’s regret. Watch for the vibrant new thing God is doing, and step into it with courage.

To conclude our journey into the new year, let us transition from reflection to action. Below is a prayer of dedication for 2026, followed by a call to commit your path to the Lord.

A Prayer for the New Year

Heavenly Father, we thank You for being the God of new beginnings and for the promise that You make all things new. As we stand at the dawn of 2026, we praise You that our past does not define our future. Lord, we release into Your hands every burden, failure, and disappointment we carried through 2025; we choose to "remember not" the former things that have hindered our walk with You.

We ask for a Divine Reset in our souls. Restore our hearts, minds, and bodies to Your original intent, removing the viruses of fear and pride and replacing them with the peace of the Gospel. Lord, bind our wandering hearts to Yours with the cords of Your kindness, and take Your rightful place on the throne of our lives. Guard our minds against the lies of the enemy and help us to take every thought captive, so that our lives may flow from a source of truth and grace.

Grant us the discipline to honour Your rhythm of rest, trusting that You are holding all things together even when we stop the hustle. Reset our vision, Father, so that we may perceive the "new thing" You are doing right now—sculpting our character, establishing our plans, and moving in our neighbourhoods. We surrender this year to You, inviting You to lead us into the fullness of Your purposes.

In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Commit Your Year to the Lord

The "new thing" God is doing requires our active participation and "active seeing". We cannot walk forward if we are constantly looking backward at the grey colours of yesterday’s regrets. Commitment is the first step toward a transformed life.

How will you dedicate 2026 to Him?

We invite you to take one practical step today to seal this commitment:

• Write it down: Identify the specific "weight" from 2025 you are releasing today.
• Schedule your rest: Mark your calendar for a weekly Sabbath, choosing to trust God’s rhythm over the world’s demands.
• Share your testimony: If you feel a "Divine Reset" happening in your heart, share it with us or with a friend to encourage them in their walk.

Let us move into this year not as survivors of the past, but as sons and daughters of the King, ready to perceive the rivers He is carving through our deserts.

The canvas is open. It’s time to paint.