“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.” (Isaiah 58:11-12)
God has promised to guide, satisfy, prosper, refresh, rebuild, raise up, repair, and restore all those who come to Him.
This sounds unbelievable I know, but God is a God of increase, blessing, and restoration.
The Bible is full of people who had to be restored.
Joseph, David, the prodigal son, Peter, the woman with the issue of blood, Lazarus, the widow of Nain.
As you read the Bible you’ll discover it is actually a book of restoration, because that is God’s heart.
But restoration is a process. We are born again in our spirits, and we become a new creation the moment we ask Jesus to cleanse us from our sin. However we must allow that truth to permeate our mind, emotions and body. We must allow that restoration of our disconnected relationship with God to affect every area of our lives.
An analogy for the process is how in the hands of master craftsmen a beautiful piece of old furniture is given a new life.
God says we are His masterpiece, His workmanship. At some point we may need some refreshing and restoring, and God is our master craftsman, with skills for the job (Ephesians 2:10).
He promises that he will “perfect that which concerns us”, ( and that he will be faithful to complete what He has started in us. The key is for us each to take the steps to let Him work.
Here is step 1:
Be willing to let God work. – A piece of furniture firstly has to be placed in the hands of the restorer.
The people you see in the bible that were restored:
Allowed God to work in their lives
They forgave (Joseph and his brothers Genesis chap 45)
They asked for forgiveness (Prodigal Son, (Luke 15:17), Peter the disciple (John 21)
When furniture is restored a survey is taken of the extent of the damage to the table/ piece, for instance; is it scratched badly? Does it have watermarks that has removed or destroyed the existing finish? Are there any stains/oily marks that are ingrained in the wood and cannot be cleaned off with cleaning products?
God knows you. He knows what has to be done. He already sees any damage. Don’t try to hide from Him.
Let your prayer be, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)
A big part of God restoring is admitting we need Him to do just that, and then allowing Him into ALL areas of our lives.
Unfortunately pride and fear can too often get in the way. He knows it all. You aren’t fooling him.
IT’S MESSY
Anyone restoring furniture knows you need to be prepared for some mess.
Restoration means we have be willing to allow God to “sand” away any damage, scratches, dints, spillages, and deep wounds.
Often we have been busy covering up damage with layers and layers of protective techniques. Just like a piece of furniture that has been painted over and over with many layers of paint, needs to be sanded back to the material underneath. We too have to allow God to remove things from our life to get us back to what we are really made of.
If you are serious about wanting God to restore you, then allow the “layers” that you have put on to be “scraped” back and “sanded smooth” to bring out the real you.
That can be confronting. What if we don’t like who we really are underneath?
It takes courage to allow God to show you what’s really in your heart and mind. But this step leads to transformation.
Ps 139 also says “For you formed my inward parts. You covered me in my mother’s womb. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me when as yet there were none of them.”
Today make a decision to let go of the old and allow God to restore, transform and reveal who He created you to be.
It may be messy, uncomfortable and even confronting, but know that God loves you, and you can trust Him in His grace to skillfully work something amazing in you.
Prayer: Lord I trust you. Today I put myself in your hands, trusting that you will work in me. Restore those things that are broken, missing or have been stolen. Help me not to run from you, but to have courage even when you reveal things in me I may not like or that have been hidden. In Jesus Name Amen.