In our series ‘The A-Z of Christian Faith’, looking at essential ingredients in a life of faith, we have reached the letter R. The 3Rs of the Bible – reality, relationships and rules – were considered, but the theme of tonight’s sermon was ‘R is for Restore’.
Restoration projects make for good TV shows, whether it’s the restoration of houses or makeovers of people! There are signs of restoration in progress all around us, and we need to understand that this urge within us to restore is actually a reflection of God’s heart. God loves to restore. He is the ultimate Creator, and He never wastes anything He has created, but works on it time and time again to restore it to its original beauty and goodness, re-shaping our lives as the potter re-works the clay (Jer 18:2-3). God wanted Jeremiah, and Israel, to realise not only that He is the Sovereign God who can shape and form our lives as He wants, but that He is a God who is able to re-create, re-form and restore. Aaron Shust says,
‘You restore our lives even though we don’t deserve it
And you’ve given us a love that’s not our own
You assemble all our broken, shattered pieces:
More beautiful than I had ever known.’ (‘Long Live The King’, Aaron Shust)
God is able to restore all that is broken in our lives, making a beautiful mosaic or tapestry from our mistakes and sin. Joseph’s words to his brothers (Gen 50:20) remind us that God is able to work all things together for good (Rom 8:28). He is able to repay us for the years the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25-26) – nothing needs to be wasted in God’s economy!