The God Who Restores
Are you struggling in an area of your life that you need God to restore? Maybe you feel as if your life is broken beyond repair but we serve a big God who is able to rebuild what’s been ruined.
They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire .”
Nehemiah 1:3
Jerusalem was a mess. The temple was in ruins, and so were the walls that surrounded their capital city.
One man, Nehemiah, wept when he heard that Jerusalem’s walls were in such a bad state. He prayed. He confessed the sins that the Israelites had committed. And he even asked to lead some of God’s people back to Jerusalem to rebuild the broken-down walls.
But before God would do a great work through Nehemiah, He would do a great work in Nehemiah. He softened his heart. Opened it up to what God wanted and what God was doing in the world.
This is where all of God’s great works start: right inside each of us by giving us hearts of love and compassion—hearts that care for the things God cares about, hearts that are focused on others, and hearts that really want to trust and serve God.
God’s people had been in exile, living outside of the promised land for years and years because their hearts had grown cold. But God promised that one day He would bring them home. He would rebuild their city, rebuild the temple, and most importantly, forgive His people, making them new again, once and for all! That day was coming soon.
Like Jerusalem’s walls, no one is ever too broken down for God. No one is ever too far away for God to forgive. God loves to rebuild and renew lives. This is what God did for His people, and it’s what He still does for us through our trust in Jesus.
Let God work in your life so He can restore it to something even greater.
Blessings,
Ruth
This post is an excerpt taken from our family devotional: Faith Forward.
