I Samuel 7:14
“The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. So there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.”
Restoration is a beautiful concept. Some will take a car that’s 40 years old and restore it to it’s original condition. It looks as good as new; sometimes better. This brings much delight to the watchers.
The Lord wants to restore the broken parts of us. It may be broken relationships; depression or anxiety may have taken away confidence or opportunities; addictions may have been used to cope with difficulties, only to take over one’s lives, at the expense of health, relationships, and more.
We may have been reticent to take opportunities. Thus we have no idea what we may have missed out on. Another may have been too selfish in circumstances and lost opportunities and burnt bridges. We all have lost things and relationships that we regret.
The Lord wants to restore parts that have been lost or produce what we never had, due to inaction. Joel 2:25 is another restoration passage. “Then I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust and the gnawing locust, My great army which I sent among you.”
How does this happen? How will He restore these things? Sometimes He graciously brings about a new season. We wake up to a weather change; Spring is upon us. He demonstrates His love to us constantly. We walk in a flow of grace.
There are other times when He is seeking to alter our behavior. So, the heat may be turned. This gets our attention and we realize circumstances would be easier if things were different. This may take days, sometimes months. God is patient. He is seeking to remove the destructive parts of us.
As we surrender to Him, He restores us. A page is turned; the frost thaws. Like Narnia in Spring, the green returns. This is part of the cycle of obedience. He seeks to influence us, we respond, He blesses us.
The idea is for us to respond to His prompting more easily and quickly. Like a boat’s sail can respond to the slightest breeze, so we should sense the Spirit and go in that direction. The more we respond to Him, the greater the blessing.
What is this restoration? How does He bless us? The majority is within us. Contentment, rest and joy. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Many have a wreckage within. God wants to bring peace and joy.
Lord, thank You that You want to restore us. Help us to yield to You.