Repaired & Restored

 

These are two words that are connected to each other even if remotely. They both have the “re” in front of them. When I see these two words I feel hopeful because they are positive. The opposite of these two words are quite negative. When the economic downturn (aka The Great Recession) occurred over the last few years, there were houses in just about every neighborhood that had been lost to foreclosure. These houses were often broken down and in some cases nearly destroyed. When I was out showing one of these houses, I could sometimes see the story of the family who lived there and it was heart breaking. When things are broken, it is not a pleasant position to be in. Brokenness is painful and extremely stressful.

The Lord is the Restorer and the Repairer of brokenness. He does some of His best work with the broken. Amos ends his prophetic book with the repair and restoring of Israel. Check this out….

11 ‘In that day

‘I will restore David’s fallen shelter –

    I will repair its broken walls

    and restore its ruins –

    and will rebuild it as it used to be,

12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom

    and all the nations that bear my name,’

declares the Lord, who will do these things.

13 ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord,

‘when the reaper will be overtaken by the ploughman

    and the planter by the one treading grapes.

New wine will drip from the mountains

    and flow from all the hills,

14     and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.

‘They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.

    They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;

    they will make gardens and eat their fruit.

15 I will plant Israel in their own land,

    never again to be uprooted

    from the land I have given them,’

says the Lord your God. (Amos 9:11-15 NIV)

Seeing people once broken but now restored is a beautiful site to see. Seeing broken homes restored is a major undertaking to the people involved but everyday miracle to the Great Restorer. When people are broken it really helps to know that you’re broken and in need of repair otherwise you might snub the Great Repairer.

As new families move into homes that were once loved and then went into foreclosure, it’s amazing to see the fresh paint, fresh flowers and fresh faces. There is laughter inside the walls again. Even the people who lost houses are finding hope again and they are wiser about what really matters. When some things are broken and repaired they are weakest at the point of repair, but when the Lord repairs my heart, I’m strongest at the point of repair. I know what it’s like to be badly broken. I also have experienced the Great Restorer and Repairer. I’m blessed beyond what words can explain.

Pressing On!

Dwayne