December 4, Hope of Restoration

When Adam and Eve fell, and the affects of sin entered the world, they were in desperate need of some hope. Their once beautiful world now bore the marks of death and decay, grief, shame, pain, and loss. Things didn’t get any better as they began to have children. When their oldest son, Cain, murdered his younger brother, Abel, their sorrow must have known no bounds. Yet they held onto the Creator’s promise that one day a deliverer would come from Eve’s offspring who would conquer death and evil. Her words at the birth of her next son reflect this.

“…and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.”  -Genesis 4:25b (KJV)

The next verse tells us that those in Seth’s family line continued to call on the name of the Lord. They do not forget the promise made by their Creator.

As the centuries pass, followers of the Creator God began to prophecy about the coming Deliverer, holding steadfastly to their hope. None wrote more prolifically or beautifully than the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah’s hope shines clearly as he describes the hardships that the Deliverer will vanquish.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
 because the Lord has anointed me
 to proclaim good news to the poor.
 He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
 to proclaim freedom for the captives
 and release from darkness for the prisoners,
 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
 and the day of vengeance of our God,
 to comfort all who mourn,
 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
 to bestow on them a crown of beauty
 instead of ashes,
 the oil of joy
 instead of mourning,
 and a garment of praise
 instead of a spirit of despair.
  -Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV)

Isaiah’s words are full of hope for a world heavy with the fall-out from sin. There would be a day when the broken hearted would find comfort, those held captive by sin would find release, the ashes of destruction would be replaced with beauty, those heavy with despair would soar with praise, and those who mourn would have joy once more. The rest of the chapter is full of words such as restore, rebuild, and renew.

What does Isaiah say is the cause of the rejoicing that will come and the restoration that will take place?

I delight greatly in the Lord;     
my soul rejoices in my God. 
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation     
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, 
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,     
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
-Isaiah 61:10 (NIV)

What does this restoration look like in our present life? In your areas of devastation, what does it look like to say that God is giving you beauty instead of ashes, or honor instead of shame, or joy instead of mourning?

It looks like being honest about those hurting areas of our lives and how they became like that. You can’t deal with something unless you acknowledge that it exist.

And then it looks like reaching out for help. “Come to Me,” Jesus says. “Give me your places of devastation, your shame, your despair.” We can talk to Jesus about these things. Sometimes we need to repent and accept God’s forgiveness. Many times He uses others to help us. Sometimes He calls us to be the one to help others.
But the first step is always to come to Jesus with an open and honest heart.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11:28-20 (NIV)

Every week God gives us opportunities to RECEIVE His restoration into our lives and to be INSTRUMENTS of His restoration in other’s lives. How does God want you to receive His restoration this day? And how does He want you to be an instrument of His restoration in someone else’s life?