God is Faithful to Restore Us and Lead Us
“He refreshes [restores] my soul.” Psalm 23:3
(spiritual renewal)
Restoration is hard work. It is the effort to bring something back to its original condition when time, decay, and circumstances affect its beauty, its purpose, and its value. Any shadow of what it once was or was intended to be has long since faded. The beauty is covered in dirt, mold, and decay, the edges are rough, once-strong supports are rotted, the luster is dulled. But an expert still sees the value and knows what it could be, if restored. Restoration requires someone who is skilled and has vision and an understanding of what something once was or was intended to be in order to restore it to its original state.
Jesus is our Restorer. He created us, so He knows us intimately and He knows exactly who and what He intended us to be. He is able to revive, refresh, and restore our spiritual selves to the “shalom” He intended us to enjoy in the garden, where everything was in a right relationship to Him. Isaiah 60:1 says about Jesus, “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,”
We can pray Psalm 51:2, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Jesus is able; He can do it!
“Jesus, You are the Restorer of all things. You promise that You will restore us and make us new. 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” I pray that You would begin a work of restoration and reconciliation in (name) today.”
“Lord, strip away the rotten things that would cause decay in (name)’s life. Replace the battered and worn parts with new. Refresh their outlook and restore their heart to be aligned with Yours. Work in them to stir a desire to be made new with a heart like Jesus. Remind them that, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24. Show them clearly that You love them and You desire that they would be brought into fellowship with You, welcomed into Your house and home for eternity. Give (name) a heart for restoration so they would not only embrace the gospel and receive a new heart but that they would share the life-giving gospel with others so they, too, could be restored. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
“He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”
(direction, purpose)
When God restores us, it’s not for our benefit alone, although we do reap great benefits from the renewal of our heart, mind, and spirit. But it is for His glory that He redeems us! He gives us direction and purpose.
Ephesians 1:11-12 tells us, “In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory.”
He has a plan and purpose for each of us Philippians 2:13, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.” The phrase, “For His name’s sake” indicates that we are to live in such a way that we maintain his name and reputation (1). If we fail to do that we take His name in vain- calling ourselves Christians but living like we are not. “‘You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” Deut. 5:11 (NKJV) Our actions, choices and attitudes have bearing on the name we carry.
“Holy Father, Your name is Sacred. You ARE the Great I AM. There is no other like You and Your supremacy is unequaled. I pray that You would give (name) a godly fear and respect of You. Lead (name) in paths of righteousness so that as they bear Your name, they would be righteous (not self-righteous), blameless (not deceiving others or themselves) and authentic in their faith and their convictions. Lord, give (name) perspective that every blessing is from You and for the purpose of serving You and bringing You glory. Strengthen them in their faith, their conviction, and their passion to follow You in the right paths You set before them, in Jesus’ name, amen.”
Pray without ceasing.
H4616 - maʿan - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h4616/niv/wlc/0-1/
Hallelujah, We Have a Mighty God
Isaiah 9:6-7 ““For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.””
Imagine receiving a birth announcement that detailed the child’s future resume-
Welcome Johnny Jr, our little bundle of joy!
He’ll be the joy of his parents and teachers.
Johnny will most certainly be voted most likely to succeed and will excel in the classroom and on the football field.
He’ll be salutatorian and even graduate a year early.
He’ll earn a generous scholarship to university where he’ll participate in the pep band and will spend spring break volunteering with refugee ministries. John will graduate with honors and then go on to law school. He will be admired and respected by his family, his church and his coworkers…
A birth announcement like that would seem odd, premature at best, but more likely pretentious and very presumptuous.
But centuries before Jesus was born, his birth announcement told us exactly who He would be and what He would do.
He will be called-
Wonderful Counselor
Mighty God
Everlasting Father
Prince of Peace
And He will Lead like no other-
The greatness of his government and peace will have no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
These days, we are so accustomed to hearing news of saber-rattling and watching world leaders vying for position and power. But this leader, our Mighty God, will outrank and outshine them all. He is the ultimate world leader and His power and authority will be unmatched. Under His reign we will know true justice, righteousness and peace. Can you imagine? And centuries before He was born, God shared the good news of this birth announcement that would change the world.
Today, let’s pray that our sons and daughters would have perspective and peace despite the uncertainty of world leaders and fragility of peace.. Rather than being alarmed at what they see happening in the world, pray that they have confidence in our Mighty God and look forward to the day when He will reign forever, unchallenged on David’s throne. Pray that they long for God’s justice and righteousness over the temporary solutions offered by human leaders.
Christmas Season Challenge: Today, take time to listen to the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. Close your eyes and just soak in the truth of the words and the beauty of the music. Then, take a few moments to pray for our political leaders. Yes, pray for them. Pray that their eyes would be opened to the Truth of the Gospel and they would surrender their hearts to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Pray without ceasing.
Follow the Leader?
1 John 3:7-9 “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.”
“No one who is born of God will continue to sin.” That’s a true statement right there. If one is a believer, their heart has been changed, their motivations are redirected, their heart is attuned to the Savior and their desire is to do His will. So when someone ‘claims’ to be a Christ-follower, yet continues to sin, that should bring into question the authenticity of their faith. They may ‘talk the talk’, but if your spirit is unsettled by that person, that’s a good indication that all may not be as it seems.
We MUST be on our guard to avoid being led astray. Think about that statement ‘led astray’. It indicates that someone is a willing follower. They are ‘escorted’ to a place of sin, deception, danger and destruction. They’re not forced or dragged, they’re led, willingly following. Why would someone willingly follow a deceiver?! Well, because they’re not alert and watchful to the danger. They believe what they hear rather than evaluating the words and actions against Scripture. Friends, just because someone quotes scripture, does not mean they love the Lord, it only means they are able to memorize something. It doesn’t mean their heart has changed. Just because they carry a Bible does not mean they believe what it says. Far too often we look for ‘surface-y’ signs of Christianity and we jump on the bandwagon of someone’s message because they say or do something that remotely-reflects godliness. We are gullible and far-too trusting. We see it all the time - (can you say “politics”?) But even Satan quoted scripture. Think about that. Imposters are everywhere. Are we alert or are we oblivious. Look, there is no middle ground. Either you’re a believer or you’re not. The one who does what is right is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil. Period. No one who is born of God will continue to sin. Are we taking the time to truly evaluate who we trust, spiritually?
As the Day of the Lord grows nearer, the deception will grow more intense. Are we prepared? Are we alert? We cannot be complacent. We cannot be lukewarm. We need to shine the light of Jesus on everything we see, hear, and experience. We need to filter it through the lens of Scripture. Is it of the Lord or is it deception? Friends, it’s time that we step up and address the evil that’s trying to infiltrate and destroy believers. it’s not going to be a tidal wave, it’s going to be a gentle, unassuming current that begins to slowly move believers from their foundation into the stream of complacency and the river of indifference that will erode their faith.
Let’s pray that our sons and daughters critically analyze and evaluate what they see and hear according to Scripture. Pray that they would determine who they listen to and follow based on what the Bible says, not by what their ears hear and our hearts ‘feel’.
Take time to pray through these things today. Pray over your sons and daughters by name. Spend some time listening to the Lord as well. What is it that He’s calling you to pray over more faithfully?
Pray without ceasing.