God Will Restore!


Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!  Stir up your strength, and come and save us!  Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved! Psalm 80:1, 2b-3

This morning when I was preparing to read the word, the Holy Spirit led me to the 80th Psalm.  As I began reading, I realized it is a prayer and cry for restoration.  I knew God was reminding me of His promise to restore everything lost.   I was reminded of what I had gone through a few years ago when I was working in a fine jewelry store.  One evening as my coworker and I were going about our daily routine, we looked out the front window and noticed the weather changing.  It was very dark and unusually windy.  Within minutes the glass windows began to shake from the force of the high winds, and before we knew it we were securing the store and running for cover. We didn't know it, but a tornado was about to touch down in our city.
We prayed and asked God to protect us and the store, and we were both very thankful when the storm passed over.  None of the glass was broken, and God kept us safe and secure in a dangerous situation.  Needless to say, we were anxious to leave work and get home to our families.  

As I was driving home I saw large trees completely uprooted from the ground and broken limbs were everywhere.  As I approached my neighborhood it looked like a war zone; there was debris everywhere.  I was happy to find my husband and son safe at home.  My husband and I took decided to take a look around the property, and we saw shingles from the roof laying on the ground.  The roof had been damaged but we really didn’t know to what extent.  The next morning we begin to notice the paint buckling on walls of our family room, which indicated that water had seeped in from the roof, so we immediately called our insurance agent to report that we had been through a storm, and she sent someone out to access the damage.

Sometimes the storms of life suddenly hit us and leave us wondering if we will ever recover. These storms are designed to shake the very foundation of our faith and leave us hopeless and full of despair; but God always causes us to triumph in Christ.  He allows the storms to come, but He protects us through them.  He always works everything together for our good, and not only that, He will restore all that we’ve lost in the storm.  Just like the insurance adjuster had to assess the damage to my home, when we come through the storms of life we need to take time to assess the damage that has been done.  This is not for the sake of feeling discouraged by what has happened, but to take note of what has been lost or stolen so that we can report it to God and pray for His restoration in our lives. 

 “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust My great army which I sent among you.  You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame.”
Joel 2:25, 26

After the damage had been assessed on our home, the insurance company issued a check to cover the cost of restoring our home to the way it was supposed to be.   In fact, we didn’t just have the roof repaired, we got a brand new roof.  And we didn’t get just get the damaged wall repainted, the painters did all the entire area surrounding the wall that had been damaged.  It was like being in a new home.  When God restores, He makes things better than they were before.  What seemed like sudden destruction in my life was really a blessing in disguise.  Your storm my not be caused by a natural disaster, maybe you're in a financial storm.  Or maybe you've been suffering and need to be restored to good health.  Or maybe your storm is in the area of your marriage and family, or some other significant relationship.  Whatever the case may be, my point is - we all go through storms.  No matter what kind of storm we face, God wants to restore.  

The word tells us, From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force, Matthew 11:12.  When we go through the storms of life, we can’t just sit back and feel sorry for ourselves, we must be determined to take back what whatever we've lost!  Once we have assessed the damage, we must rise up and cry out for restoration.  If my husband and I had not called and reported that our home had been damaged in a storm,  we would have never experience the beauty of restoration.   

Have you been through a storm and suffered loss?  If so, have you assessed the damage?   Take time to look around you and make a list of everything you have lost, then pray and ask God to restore all.  I’m standing in faith with you that God will restore everything you've lost in the storm, and make your life better than it was before.  

Kathy


13 comments:

  1. You're welcome. Thanks for reading. God bless you!

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  2. My only child David passed away Dec 2011 followed by my mother 2 weeks later. This past Christmas husband I've been married to since I was 20 years old filed for divorce ...Praying GOD restore or give me other sources of finances ...home needs MAJOR Repairs...friend sent me your blog & I receive your timely message! Years ago minister had a prophecy: When GOD restores, GOD makes brand new ...better than the original ..just like Job you've lost it all, but just like Job, GOD will restore it all back to you ..GOD said What do you want ME to do for you? Make a list & be specific with God & pray for restoration of it all!! Very words you've spoken ..thank you dear sister ...please pray for me

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  3. Hello Anonymous.

    First of all I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. You have been through so much. I began to pray for you after reading your comment. I'm so thankful that you were encouraged by my post. I know God has not forgotten you. He sees you and I know He has a plan of restoration for you. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. His grace will see you safely through to the other side. I hope you stay connected.

    Peace & blessing to you!


    Kathy

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  4. Dear Kathy,
    This is Anonymous (May 18, 2013 @ 11:28pm)..my name is Cherie. Thank you so very much for actually RSVP & praying! Jerry Savelle had same prophetic word years ago. Thank you for believing & praying with me for God to restore my health (physical & Mental) & house & ministry:visiting nursing home(with David, who was born 3 mo.premature & in w/chair w/cerebral palsy) every week for years & visiting nearby dorm for handicapped children + trips to Mexico bringing clothes & toys to orphanage. Thank you Kathy for taking the time to RSVP & pray. You brought me hope!

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    1. Anonymous,

      It blesses me to know that my words brought you hope. I know it is God's will to restore you! Please keep going forward and doing the work of the Lord. In God your best days are ahead of you!

      Blessings,

      Kathy

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  5. Hi kathy, I am a mother that is so worried, my oldest son was fired from a job that he loves because of false accusations. I know my son his a good christian loving son and Father. pls join me in prayer that my son court case will be dismiss... as the person who brought this charges was under the influence of alcohol and has now change her mind and drop all charges, but the county atty now wants to take my son to court. I been praying that my son will get his job back as he was unjustly fired. in Christ Jesus i ask Thank you and amen

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  6. Hi Anonymous. Pardon me for taking so long to respond to your comment, but I've been away from my blog for a short time. I want you to know that I am praying and standing in faith with you on behalf of your son. One thing I've come to know about God, is that He is a God of justice. He will vindicate! Please come back and share how God worked everything out. Blessings to you!

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. Hi Talisha.

    Thank you for reading my blog and sharing your story. I'm so sorry to hear of your loss, but I must say I love your determination to see everything restored. I'm standing in faith with you. Please come back and leave an update on what God has done in your life.

    Blessings to you!

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  9. Thank u so much for ur message.I fired from my job last year..lost my relationship..I lost my health...literally am deseparate..pl pray for me..

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  10. Hi Sarah!

    Thank you for stopping by to read my post and leave a comment. I'm sorry to hear that you have been experiencing loss. I will be lifting you up in prayer that God will bring restoration into every area of your life! He is faithful. Please come back and share your testimony. God Bless!

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  11. Kathy,
    I need your help please???
    I need to change from inside out, I feel lost my past decisions and actions haunt me I want to forget it and enjoy my husband and children. I often look in mirror I feel ugly always something wrong it's not normal it destroys me.
    I pray but I need more I need help I need to be restored inside out...
    I want to love myself feel beautiful and perfect I've done so many things to change my body I regret them all I want to erase it all from my memory and live in peace if I could take it all back I would
    Please help me move forward.
    My marriage my husband my kids we all need help we need restoration for our family
    Please help me pray please email me anything that will help me
    I have faith it's all going to happen in Jesus name Amen

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  12. Hi Karen. Somehow I missed your comment, please forgive me for just now responding. One of the most important things is that you are acknowledging your need for change. That's where it all starts. God always begins working on us from the inside out. The more you read His Word, and the more you spend time fellowshipping with Him, the more you will be changed. It happened to me! God changed my life from the inside out. We also get our view of who we really are by reading the bible, not by what others say about us, or what we think of ourselves. God's word is truth and it is the final authority. Start reading the book of Ephesians. It's only 6 chapters long. You will begin to see and know who you are in Christ. Also, my book Pray-ers Bear Fruit is all about walking through the process of change. It's available on my website KathyRGreen.com.

    God bless and keep you and your family. Never lose hope. God loves you and you are valuable to Him.

    Kathy

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