The Promise to Restore

We are part of God’s business of restoration (‘bringing back to a former or original condition’). He restores us and we are also used in His plan to restore. In the Bible when something is restored, it 'is always significantly better than its original condition'. From the beginning to the end of the Bible, we see restoration as a major theme. ‘Refresh, mend, regenerate, return, reinstate, reestablish, fix, give back, reconstruct, revive, rehabilitate, energize’ are amongst the words given in the Thesaurus for restore or restoration. These are a few Scriptures on restoration:

‘So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.
You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the Lord your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And My people shall never be put to shame.’

Joel 2: 25-26.

‘….His mercy He saved us, through washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit..’

Titus 3:5

‘…be renewed in the spirit of your mind…put on a new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness’.

Eph 4:23-24.

‘For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem’

Ezra 9:9.

The pivotal personal restoration is the cleansing of sin and restoration of man back to God by the significant act of Jesus dying on the cross and His resurrection. Our salvation is the best thing in our personal walk. The ultimate restoration is the return of the church, the bride of Christ. It will be the time that makes the restoration complete.

Sometimes we feel that God is hiding Himself from us. That the world is just too messed up for it to be saved. Thats why faith is so important. Trusting the God we know in things unseen. In our lives, we are being restored to the image of God everyday. We are not perfect but we are complete in Christ. It was just today that I was down and out. God used His Word to restore me. It was His Word that spoke life into the dust of the ground and created man. With His Word He spoke and there was light, water, birds of the air, fish of the sea, plants and every other living thing. Restoration needs His Word and Him in the center of it. Perfect.

‘Let the ruins come to life
In the beauty of Your Name
Rising up from the ashes
God forever You reign

And my soul will find refuge
In the shadow of Your wings
I will love You forever
And forever I'll sing’

- lyrics of chorus from Glorious Ruins, Hillsongs