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In the Old Testament, Isaiah 43 looks forward to the release of God’s people from their captivity, but it goes beyond their current situation of bondage in Babylon and looks even to our redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father gives them a great encouragement in Isaiah 43:19(NLT). He said, “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” Our wonderful Heavenly Father reminded His people not only of His infinite power and ability, but His willingness to use it for their care and well-being. He would show them things they hadn’t seen before and restore them to a glory they had not known. He will do the same for us living today, but there are a few things you and I must know so that our praise of Him, in His sight, is equal to the restoration He brings about.

Roosting with a quickness
A new season is upon us. Many will think they can continue business as usual, but not only is this a new season, it is one of a different kind. And whether we acknowledge it or not, life as we know it is going to change. God has prepared us in the past, and we moved through this preparation with an enormous amount of His grace. In this new and different season that we’re in, He’s going to prepare us in ways that may not be so comfortable. We will not receive a pass on the negative behaviors, attitudes, and thoughts we’ve gotten away with previously. As a matter of fact, one of the things we’ll notice is that the pace of the consequences we face for sinful actions will escalate. As soon as we put negativity out there, it’s coming back to roost with a quickness. It will do so with such a severity that we can’t help but sit up and take notice. The lesson is that we must spiritually mature to the point where we think before we act, and we must choose love over anger or fear.

Eyes wide open
2Corinthians 4:4(NLT) tells us, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” Many of us that are born-again and have been on this Christian journey many years still do not believe in the goodness of God. We look at what is happening in our world, and we blame God for things the devil is doing and give the devil credit for things our Heavenly Father is doing. God desires to bring restoration to many aspects of our existences; to our relationships, finances, health, and most importantly, our walk with Him, but we have a very pivotal part to play in this.

The thing that the enemy is trying to keep your mind blinded to is the very thing the Lord will uncover. It’s time to open our eyes wide so we can see what we’ve been missing for such a long time. Some of us have not truly repented for the sins we’ve caused others to commit and the ones we’ve committed ourselves. Repentance mandates that we are truly and deeply sorry for our sins. This means that we must recognize that God has lavished a goodness upon us that we could never deserve. He chose us first, and He didn’t have to. Ephesians 1:5-6 tells us that He adopted us as His children and predestined it to be so even before the foundation of the world. He’s made everything that is in existence and done so for Himself, according to the good pleasure of His own Will. Our greatest service is to praise Him for the glory of His grace. We can’t do this if we don’t recognize or understand this grace and don’t appreciate it in the depths of our hearts.

To bring forth restoration in the glory God intends, we must magnify His goodness and be deeply thankful that through Christ He has spared us from the fate we all deserved. It would be impossible for you or me to live enough lifetimes to thank Heavenly Father for all He has done. The most that we can do is bow before Him and invite Him to show us more clearly what our offenses are, so that we can repent in earnest. Only when we know, as much as we can, the depth of our transgression, can we also truly know the grace that God has extended us.

Cling to the old thing no more
It is said that the amount of time it takes a runner to look back at their opponent will cause him or her to lose the race. Our intention to claim by faith whatever it is we desire in life is shaped by our expectation. Many of us are expecting God to do the same things He did ten years ago, when He restored and brought us out of a bad situation. We keep looking back and expecting to take a victory lap around the same field. Even though we’re fully aware the field has been obliterated, we’re still trying to recreate it. We know we’re not the same, and the players are not the same, but we want God to put new wine into old wine skins. Won’t work.

Our expectations for what God is going to do in this restorative season should not be shaped by our desire to cling to what has been. Yes, we absolutely should remember the goodness of God and the wonderful things He’s done for us in the past. We should remember the grace shown to bring us to where we are today, but our remembrance should motivate us to go higher not backwards. We should be excited to advance the glory we give to God by setting the bar for ourselves closer to the example of Christ. Let’s get ourselves firmly planted in the faith to make the most of what God is desiring to do in our lives. Let’s give ourselves completely to Him, so that when restoration knocks at our doors with all its bounty, we will welcome it with open arms full of praise that pleases our God!■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

“Are You Ready for Restoration?” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2019. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.

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