After an extremely busy day yesterday, this morning during my devotion time, I was blessed with the most beautiful of songs.
I sat in my time of quietness and I listened as the birds of the morning sang their song. Although Spring is not fully upon us (it’s 32° here right now), this prelude of its coming, the songs of those beautiful birds refreshed me, inspired me, and lifted me for the day ahead.
And that is how our Heavenly Father works. He really does know what you need. He knows how to fill the gaps where you may feel depleted. He knows how to refresh you to tackle new days, new moments, and new challenges.
Sometimes, these times of refreshing won’t be found in big events that scream, “Look at me!” Sometimes it is found in something as simple as a bird’s song.
“For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.” Jeremiah 31:25
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
“And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.
Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.” Ezekiel 36:35-36
Archaic and ancient, yet there is beauty within. Rubbled and ruined, but potential peeks through with the willingness to start again, to be reborn with purpose once more.
I must say, I am drawn to history and design in this manner. I love to learn about places of old. I am drawn to those shows and documentaries that feature taking these older places and structures, revitalizing them, restoring their ancient beauty, and making them livable and valuable once more.
If you are inclined to watch such programming, you will see that meticulous care is taken in the restoration process. And the older a place is, with more original features, the chances are the work that needs to be done cannot be done by just any rebuilder. Instead, those who are trained to deal with period pieces and materials are called in to work with their expertise on the structure to remake it to be as close to the original as possible.
God has always been in the rebuilding business. From the time of the Fall, and the Flood, and many points in between and beyond, though His people went through adversity, it was done with the intent of a new and fresh start from their sins and mistakes.
In ancient captivity, the children of Israel lived in bondage to the Babylonians due to their own sins and wayward ways. But God, in this chapter, looked forward to a time of restoration; a time of renewal for His people. A time and a moving that will bring glory to His name and not the dishonor that had been promoted by His people’s unholy living (36:21).
God was going to gather His people from where they had been dispersed and bring them back home (36:24), and the great rebuilding process would begin. Beginning with Cyrus (Ezra 1), followed by the help of other kings, God’s people would return home physically and spiritually, and the ruins would be rebuilt and lives would be restored in their relationship with God.
To accomplish this, God was going to give them a new heart and a new spirit (36:26-27). God was not just satisfied with cities becoming occupied again, but He wanted inner transformation. He wanted hearts that would make Him feel welcomed once more. A heart that would be in love with the Father and His ways once more. Those were the ruins God was most interested in rebuilding. The outward buildings were nice, but the new inner man who was being transformed, this is the real beauty God wants to see. To Him, this matters the most.
When David sought to be restored, he prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). He wanted to be restored to the Father because his own sins caused a separation. He wanted to be rebuilt from the inside out.
Today, our heavenly Father is still rebuilding ruins. Much like David, when a heart turns to Him in true humility and repentance, they can be restored. Jesus Christ became the way for this to happen: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17); “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
When we come to Him and accept Him as Savior (Acts 2:38-39; John 3:5; Romans 6:4), He takes the old us and makes us something new: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17), and we are ruins no more.
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3) – this is where the rebuilding begins.
Please Note: Ads below or referenced on this site are prefabricated and mass-produced (of which I currently have no control over) and DO NOT necessarily represent the views and/or beliefs of this site and its admin.
Wanderer, come home. Find what you went looking for in the heart of the Father once again. As with the prodigal, His arms are opened wide waiting to receive you to Himself. Your return puts gladness in His heart. Today is not too late for your feet to rejoin the path of those who walk the road of righteousness. This path will bring calm to your spirit and peace to your soul once again. In the refuge of His wings, you will again experience true safety, comfort, and love.
Wanderer, come home and fall into the embrace of the One whose love for you is as fresh today as it was on the day you were born. He has not waned in His feelings about you. His greatest desire is to have you where He is for all eternity. Turn not away from that embrace. Turn inward to Him. Let His love wash over you. Let His healing balm restore you. Today is not too late. Turn to the shining Son and walk in His light. Feel the warmth of His radiant countenance smiling upon you once again.
Wanderer, refuse not His call. Refuse not Him who loves you so. While all people matter to God, you matter too. Experience His compassion of salvation offered through our Lord Jesus Christ. Please, come home and make the great return today. The Shepherd of your soul awaits (1 Peter 2:25).
“How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18:12-14)
“Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19-20, NKJV)
Please Note: Ads below or referenced on this site are prefabricated and mass-produced (of which I currently have no control over) and DO NOT necessarily represent the views and/or beliefs of this site and its admin.
I don’t know about you, but I have made many mistakes in almost every area of my life. Every “i” has not been dotted, nor every “t” crossed. If I would begin to go down the list and check off all the goof-ups, blunders, and short-comings it would tell a story most don’t get to see on the outside; a story of blemishes on my record marred with many imperfections.
Failure and mistakes are some of those things that are hard to overcome for some. Mess-ups have a way of smearing defeat in one’s face making them feel that there will never be a space for recovery and restoration. But, God is a God of restoration.
The children of Israel had a propensity of straying from the will of God and messing up on several occasions (actually more than several but who are we to judge). Knowing their history, when Solomon was praying at the temple dedication, he included a plea for restoration from the sins and mistakes of the people. He prayed,
“When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house:
Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.” (1 Kings 8:33-34)
In the above verses, we see a pattern to deal with defeat: 1) Pray and confess the wrong or mistake; 2) Let God restore. Now listen, even if what one has “failed” at does not necessarily qualify as sin, such as one may wish they had spoken better to someone else or, in hindsight one realizes they could have put more effort on a project, or it was just an honest mistake of accidentally overlooking something or someone – whatever the cause innocent or not, I believe the same model that King Solomon laid out can be applied to just about every situation.
Point number one: Any mistake, honest and innocent to sin and wrongdoing, can be taken to the Lord in prayer. 1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” Not just your worries and disappointments, but every care that deals with situations that make one say, “Boy, I sure messed that up. Now what?”
Taking things to God in prayer allows Him to work on your case and opens up the doors of grace to be released in one’s life. Which leads to the second point: let God restore and work on your case. Solomon’s prayer said, “Bring them again unto the land,” which speaks of the opportunity to set things straight and start over; another chance to experience recovery of the Lord’s healing over the situation.
God specializes in fixing the broken and healing what others thought was impossible. Trust Him with everything that is bothering you and let Him work it out.
If the cause of failure is due to sin, confess it and get rid of it (seek spiritual counsel from a pastor or leader for help). If one has made a mistake that’s keeping you bound in doubt, pray for His deliverance even in this. God is standing at the ready to repair the brokenness and bring healing to the land.
“Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me,” (Micah 7:8).
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved,” (John 3:16-17).
I don’t know about you but have failed at so many things in life. If I would begin to go down the list and check off all the goof-ups, blunders, and short-comings it would tell a story most don’t get to see on the outside. In every area of life, be it marriage, raising children, my relationship with God, or whatever – there is a mark of imperfection there, a blemish on my record.
Failure is one of those things that are hard to overcome for some. Mess-ups have a way of smearing defeat in one’s face making them feel that there will never be a space for recovery and restoration.
The children of Israel had a propensity of straying from the will of God and messing up on several occasions (actually more than several but who are we to judge). Knowing their history, when Solomon was praying at the temple dedication, he included a plea for restoration from the sins and mistakes of the people. He prayed,
“When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house:
Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.” (1 Kings 8:33-34)
In the above verses, we see a pattern to deal with defeat: 1) Pray and confess the wrong or mistake; 2) Let God restore. Now listen, even if what one has “failed” at does not necessarily qualify as sin, such as one may wish they had spoken better to someone else or, in hindsight one realizes they could have put more effort on a project or, it was just an honest mistake of accidentally overlooking something or someone – whatever the cause innocent or not, I believe the same model that King Solomon laid out can be applied to just about every situation.
Point number one: Any mistake, honest and innocent to sin and wrong doing, can be taken to the Lord in prayer. 1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” Not just your worries and disappointments, but every care that deals with situations that make one say, “Boy, I sure messed that up. Now what?”
Taking things to God in prayer allows Him to work on your case and opens up the doors of grace to be released in one’s life. Which leads to the second point: let God restore and work on your case. Solomon’s prayer said, “Bring them again unto the land,” which speaks of the opportunity to set things straight and start over; another chance to experience recovery of the Lord’s healing over the situation.
God specializes in fixing the broken and healing what others thought was impossible. Trust Him with everything that is bothering you and let Him work it out.
If the cause of failure is due to sin, confess it and get rid of it (seek spiritual counsel from a pastor or leader for help). If one has made a mistake that’s keeping you bound in doubt, pray for His deliverance even in this. God is standing at the ready to repair the brokenness and bring healing to the land.
“Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me,” (Micah 7:8).
“For God so loved the work, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved,” (John 3:16-17).
Word For Life Says... 