Restoration

It has been a little over a week since Hurricane Michael ripped up through the panhandle. These past two weeks have really been such a fog. It’s hard to process what even happened. It’s hard to know what to feel. There are so many emotions flowing. As we entered our neighborhood from evacuating last Friday, tears streamed down my face. My six year old asked if I was crying happy tears, and honestly, I was unable to really pinpoint the emotion from which those tears flowed.

Over the past week I have cried tears of joy, hurt, pain, and uncertainty. I am hurting for our neighbors to the east and up. I am uncertain of how long it will take to restore such a broken area. It pains me physically to think of the little children that are trickling in to my kids’ schools with nothing. It pains me even more to think of the ones that are still left in destroyed homes with nothing, not even food. The joy though in seeing so many from our community join groups, donate supplies, serve meals, distribute supplies, offer up their own homes, gather in convoys with trucks, trailers, and chainsaws to go to the devastation and be the hands and feet of Jesus brings me to tears!

I have never been so happy to call Florida home, to know that I live among people that are so selfless and giving that they are willing to do whatever they can to help those in need.

Unfortunately, as much joy as it has brought to those in need as well, I know that the hurt, pain, and uncertainty is likely overpowering that joy much of the time. Time that will seemingly drag on knowing that it’ll be weeks, months, and for some even years before restoration. But there is hope and it is coming. The panhandle will be restored. Homes, churches, schools, businesses, and communities will be rebuilt. Lives will be restored.

The dictionary defines restore four different ways. In speaking of things like buildings, houses, and businesses, the definitions of repairing, renovating, and returning fit. But in speaking of lives being restored, the definition best suited is to bring back to existence. Read that again and try to explain how that is possible. How can something come back to existence? Something that seems so lost be found? Something that seems dead come back to life? In Matthew 19:26 Jesus gives us the answer. Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Only God can truly restore. Sure, buildings, houses, businesses, communities, can be rebuilt. They will be. But the restoration of lives, souls, is only possible with God. Believe me, it will feel impossible, certainly look it, possibly even get to the point where one might feel like death, as if there is nothing to live for, but again with God and His grace alone, all things are possible.

I am reminded of this in my own life, knowing that amidst what seemed to be so close to death and losing life as I knew it, my God continued to show up and is continuing to work to completely restore me. We’ve all heard stories and accounts of such, wondering how it’s even been possible, and knowing that it could only be through God. The Bible even records one of many times of restoration in 1 Kings 17.

There had just been a severe drought and famine in the land in which the prophet Elijah lived. He went to seek refuge and food with a widow and her son and even after her obedience to feed and care for Elijah, the widow’s son died. The Bible says Elijah took the boy, “And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.” Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived.” I Kings‬ ‭17:21-22. I want you to see this-God restored the boy’s soul, Elijah cried out to God, and he was revived.

Only God can restore, as believers in the Word, in God, through which all things are possible, we have the ability and the access, to cry out to God and ask Him to restore. We have the truth in our hearts to share. We have the capabilities to help rebuild, repair, and renovate, but we have the message of truth, that God has the power to restore lives.

There are the recordings in the Bible where the temple was destroyed and rebuilt on separate occasions. There is even the prophecy of it being destroyed again from Jesus in Matthew 24:2, “Do you see all these things?” He asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” Buildings are destroyed. Buildings are rebuilt. Things are things. Stuff is stuff. Lives however, are precious. We only have one. Lives can seem lost, but hear me, through Christ they can be found. “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew‬ ‭10:39

I hope that when all seems lost, even when your very life seems like it’s not worth living, you can find God, you can be restored. I’m going to leave you with Psalm 23 in hopes that you can believe in such a G‬od and let these words become your truth.

1 The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever.

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