Life is a blend of the good and bad experiences. In times of difficulty and darkness, it is easy to lose hope and get discouraged. No one gets to the top mountain without going through the valley. Certain seasons may feel like a period of stagnation and lean years, but our God is a God of restoration. The Lord changes the story of our lives and gives us a testimony to glorify His name. We all get to spend some time in the wilderness, but this not meant to be a permanent experience. It is only a temporary part of the journey.
God can restore all that seems lost in the lean years. He will restore and heal your wounds. There will be an overflow of joy when the time of restoration comes.
Joel 2:23-26.
Joel 2:23 Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.
Joel 2:24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
Joel 2:25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten — the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm — my great army that I sent among you.
Psalms 126:1-6
Psalms 126:1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed.
Psalms 126:2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”
Psalms 126:3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.
Psalms 126:4 Restore our fortunes, LORD, like streams in the Negev.
Psalms 126:5 Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.
Psalms 126:6 Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.
Restoration means brining back to an earlier and usually better condition. Taking that which is broken and making it useful and beautiful.
The brokenness could be spiritually, emotionally, financially.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted.
Psalms 34:18.
NIV, Psalms 34:18
The LORD is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Life is like voyage, there are times of smooth sailing and other times of storms.
Because you are believer does not mean that you are exempted from the challenges of life.
The hardships they reveal:
- The nature of our faith
- strength of our commitment to God.
- The level of our maturity.
- The healthiness if our attitude
- The nature of our teachability.
Considerations necessary to enjoy restoration
- A renewed trust in the promises of God.
Our relationship with God is a covenant sealed with the blood of Christ.
You are the apple of God’s eye
Lamentations 3:19-22
Lamentations 3:19 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.
Lamentations 3:20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.
Lamentations 3:21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Lamentations 3:22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
Lamentations 3:23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Jeremiah could see the misery and grief but he remembered the steadfast love of God amidst his hardships.
Matthew 11:28
St. Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
St. Matthew 11:29 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.
St. Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
In the place of prayer, be honest before God stretch your withered hand(Matthew 12:13) for healing and restoration, He is committed to helping you overcome that struggle you face.
- We need a renewed sense of confidence in God’s abilities.
Jeremiah 32:17 “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.
There is nothing we are going through that is too hard for God to handle.
All things are possible with God.
Don’t allow anything to shake you because you are secure in the hands of God. Learn to trust God every time, even you can’t trace Him. God is not afraid of the dark, and neither should you be.
Let our trust in God regulate our outlook, not our circumstance. Our conviction in God. Trusting God without any questions, strengthening our faith.
- Live with a renewed sense of Destiny.
Your destiny is intact in the hands of God.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Nothing can diminish His power, look beyond the horizon to the place God is taking you.
- Seek to dwell in the presence of God.
Seeking God in the place of prayer. God looks at our sense and degree of preparedness for what He has prepared for us. Always br ready for His visitation through prayer.
A broken life is very ripe for God’s blessings.
Fear is keep things in your own hands, faith is taking them to God’s hands. Let God know your concerns.
God wants bold iron saints, people who can be bold. He can restore destinies, opportunities and all that we’ve lost.
