Deuteronomy 30:3
“then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.”
Our last entry dealt with our returning to The Lord. I wrote that all of us stray from time to time. The degree and length are also factors. God receives us back like a prodigal. He welcomes our returns. We never have to worry about that. Jesus describes how a party was thrown for the one who returns.
We also discussed how we put ourselves in a self imposed drought when we turn away from The Lord. We cut off fellowship from Him; the joy and peace in our hearts begins to wane. The prosperity that He gives also diminishes. This blight is what causes most of us to return.
Today we will discuss how God restores us upon our return. Depending on how long we were gone there may be little or great damage. The Israelites we actually taken captive by the Babylonians. After 70 years they returned.
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah speak of the return and restoration. Ezra addresses reconstructing the temple. In a personal sense rebuilding the temple is seen as repairing our spiritual side and the disciplines connected with serving God.
If we left The Lord, then that was the first failure. That speaks of serving idols. Something was placed before The Lord. He needs to be first. If we’ve returned to The Lord, then we are open to addressing the things that are competing with our devotion to The Lord.
If we commit our lives to Him, He will restore us. I picture a land ravaged by drought. The rains come and the green growth is apparent everywhere. So, it is when we return to God. There is a general blessing that He gives.
We are addressing the spiritual. He will fill, bless and restore all connected with that. Our wounded spirit can be restored. Jesus speaks of finding rest for our souls (Matthew 11:29). He will restore us, just as the dry land turned green.
He will restore the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, Galatians 5). These are the things that flow forth from our lives. These are present when when we are in a healthy relationship with Him.
Lord, thanks that You want to know us and that You will will restore us when we return to You. Thanks for the wonderful healing that You bring.