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Restoration

Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. – Psalm 80:3

Our God is all about restoration and restoration is something special. Before her sudden death in 1992 my mother and her husband were restoring a 1957 Chrysler Imperial automobile. They removed all the trim from the car and meticulously labeled every single piece. They researched every detail on the car and worked to return it as close to original condition as possible. Restoration is the process of using original parts whenever possible to return something to its original condition.

God works with us to restore, as much as possible, our original condition before sin broke in and separated us from him. He uses original parts... ”Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) ... that are carefully cataloged and returned to showroom luster. Just like my mom restoring the car, the actual perfection of brand new can’t be reached. As long as we live this side of heaven we’ll never attain the perfection that was ours at creation. Sin has done its damage so there are little nooks and crannies where decay and dysfunction still hide. Not because God can’t restore those areas but because we refuse, in our willfulness, to give those things over for his restorative work to be done. And so the work goes on for a lifetime, our lifetime. Bit by bit, in small ways and large, God works his restorative power into our lives. May we give him access more fully with each new day.

Prayer
Lord, thank you for restoring me each day to a deeper and fuller relationship with you. Humble me so that I might withhold nothing of myself from your loving repair. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.