Christ restores from suffering.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

1 Peter 5:10

This is the only New Testament passage that directly speaks of God’s desire to do restorative work. And it is such a great promise! Restoration is much more prominent in the Old Testament where my recent studies have found over forty-five usages in the ESV as God does a work in Israel with the word “restore”. This is due to the uniqueness of the Old Covenant and the curses of the Law that demanded punishment and then restoration after Israel’s failures to keep the Law.

In the New Testament we have no such stipulations since Jesus has fulfilled the Law and His sacrifice once-for-all now restores us completely with a New Covenant written in His blood. There is, however, this passage in 1 Peter related to restoration after Christians go through persecution or suffering. And it is very significant. God, in grace, will restore us from seasons of sorrow and suffering. And this restoration is accomplished and lasts forever in the work of Jesus! It isn’t about our relationship with Him, but about our own emotional and spiritual health.

In Jesus my Lord, I am restored, confirmed, strengthen, and established beyond the worst pains and sorrows I will know. This is true. I experience it even now. God ordains seasons of pain and suffering to do His God work so that this kind of restoration will bring Him glory as Jesus reigns over me. Thank You, Lord, for such restoration!

restored double

Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;

today I declare that I will restore to you double.

Zechariah 9:12

O God,

You do good work. Your grace pours over me more than I need. You fill me. You fulfill me. You save me from my worst sins and failures. You turn my mistakes into Your miracles of mercy. You restore to me double what I ever had thought I had lost. You are a good Father Who delights in giving good gifts to His children. I once was a prisoner holding onto hope in Jesus… waiting, praying, hoping, and trusting that one day sorrow could turn to joy and restraint to dancing! And now I enjoy Your bountiful restored blessings… more than I can count. I am in awe of such a God of grace!

Jesus,

I did not deserve this kind of extravagance. Yet you have poured out Your life for me. You have called me to daily deny myself, take up a cross, and follow You. And here I am now in possession of such an enormous wealth of spiritual blessing! Truly You have done “exceeding abundantly above” all that I can ask or imagine according to the riches of Your grace. I am beyond grateful! Praise the Lord Who restores to us double!

Amen

before my eyes

“At that time I will bring you in,

at the time when I gather you together;

for I will make you renowned and praised

among all the peoples of the earth,

when I restore your fortunes

before your eyes,” says the LORD.

Zephaniah 3:20

It’s happening

right before my eyes.

Restoration

beyond what I could realize!

God is renewing

right before my eyes

what I thought impossible

is now His great surprise.

At the cross

right before our eyes

Lamb of God

took sin when crucified.

At the tomb

right before our eyes

Christ renewed

eternal life, set free, never to die!

And in my new life

right before my eyes

Restoration

as Jesus now supplies

abundant new life

right before my eyes

grief and loss praise-changed my heart cries…

and this happened

right before my eyes!

restored to enjoy the new work

I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,

and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;

they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,

and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.

Amos 9:14

When God promised to restore a broken people, He also commanded them to work in response to what He restored. I love the way Amos in his prophetic encouragement captures this dichotomy. God promised to restore the fortunes of His people. In order to see restoration complete, the Israelites would need to act. And it looks something like this:

GOD RESTORES!

The people act.                         God rewards.

Rebuild the cities. —————>      Inhabit the new home.

Replant the vineyards. ——————>  Enjoy the new wine.

Replant gardens. ———————->    Eat of the new fruit.

So all that God does in restoring broken lives comes with responsibilities to be realized by those restored lives. God restores. Without His merciful work we would never know the joy of the new beginning and the fruit of it all. But we must obey in His renewal. And so it is in salvation: Jesus saves, but we still obey. He restores, but we still follow. The fruit of holiness is God’s work and our obedience.

In the restoration that God is now doing in me, I expect to still do some rebuilding and replanting. I am in the middle of that work right now, and it is a joy to have the privilege to do that work! But God will bless in HIS RESTORATION! I find a new home… new sustenance… and the joys of new wine!

restored from the swarm

I will restore to you the years

that the swarming locust has eaten…

Joel 2:25a

God sent judgment to Judah in the form of a locust plague that destroyed multiple crops. In an agrarian society this was devastation. It led to financial collapse and famine. It eventually was a foretaste of the bigger Day of the Lord to come. And it was all God’s plan. Yes… a good God brought hard experiences so that in the pain He might be found.

It was also God’s plan that a just God would be a good God in restoration. The God Who takes away also restores new life. The Judge whose justice judges sin is also the Renewer Who forgives and fills hearts again with life and joy.

And this is still how God works. Through the means of the cross and in an empty tomb Jesus always restores what sin and death have devoured. And in our lives, when the locust swarm of loss, sorrow, grief, or sadness eats away at our increase, God will, in mercy and grace see us and restore us as we learn in a season that our lives do not consist in the stuff of this world that we want to place our trust upon! Those sorrows may come in swarms… the feeling of loss may last for years, but God is working on an eternal scale, so hang on… God is what we have always needed most.

The promise: “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you.” Joel 2:26.

Did you see that word “wondrously”? Well… it is! AMEN!!!!

We waited for the harvest.

For you also, O Judah, a harvest is appointed.

When I restore the fortunes of my people…

Hosea 6:11

The ground was broken in our brokenness.

The soil ripped open in deep distress.

The seed was sown.

In the sorrows known

we waited.

The crop was watered by our tears,

waiting as we did, uncertain in our fears,

this crop unseen grew,

and with what we knew,

we waited.

Summer storms were harsh, but nurtured care

as seedlings matured in the soil there.

Optimism matured beneath

as the crop came into new green leaf

we waited.

Finally, a day of harvest now today!

We rejoice to abundantly reap and say:

“We receive this gracious grain,

praise You, O God, for new life again!”

We waited!

God provided.

We waited!

God restored.

3 parts to restoration

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name.

Ezekiel 39:25

Three things from this verse grab my attention as I contemplate how God restores what gets broken. They help me appreciate my own experience of His restorative work within me.

1. MOMENT. God declares that He restores “NOW”. It is present in its timing. It is in this moment. It is always on God’s heart to see restoration happen… God took the initiative in sending His Son to redeem and restore us so that always… NOW is the time of salvation. God presently and always works to restore our brokenness as we come to Him for hope and healing.

2. MERCY. God did not have to redeem and restore. In the case of sinful Israel, they deserved judgment for defiling the covenant. But in mercy He restored them to Himself. In mercy God saves us in Christ. In mercy He restores lost and broken parts of our lives.

3. MOTIVE. God’s motive for restoring us isn’t just feeling sorry for us. It isn’t pity. It is MUCH higher. He is jealous for His name’s sake. He restores because He is a loving, holy, and perfect God. He gets the glory in the new good that He brings. We do nothing except believe and receive His merciful work.

restored to my Restorer

Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored!

Renew our days as of old—

Lamentations 5:21

The biggest part of restoration is restoration to God… always. When He provided forgiveness of sin through the sacrifice of Jesus once for all, He did it to restore us to Him. When He restores broken lives ruined by sin, He does it so that we may be brought close to Him. When He rebuilds shattered lives that felt hopeless in loss and sorrow, God brings new joy so that with Him we might rejoice. When one day He receives us into eternal glory, it will be so that we will glory in His name, in His power to save, in His deliverance, in the God Who restores us to Himself!

O Lord,

You are renewing my days right now. I am restored to you in Jesus. I am freed from sin’s damning future. I am secured by the work of Jesus my Great High Priest!

You have seen me through a dark season and renewed my hope. I did not die, but felt like I was dying. I found new hope beyond my worst despair. I found Your hand giving all that I needed and all that I asked to have. I found You as You restored many things, some of them I did not realize I had lost. I love You, Lord, as You showed me You are in the certain center of renewed hope and healing! 

Amen