Restore to me the joy of YOUR salvation

Restore

- verb (used with object), -stored, -storing

1. to bring back into existence, use, or the like; reestablish.
2. to bring back to a former, original, or normal condition, as a building, statue, or painting.
3. to bring back to a state of health, soundness, or vigor.
4. to put back to a former place, or to a former position, rank, etc.
5. to give back, make return or restitution of anything taken away of lost).
6. to reproduce or reconstruct (an ancient building, extinct animal, etc.( in the original state)

Restoring  has been everywhere I look lately.  


Last weekend, I went to TX for my brother's DNOW. I was leading a group of beautiful 10th grades (I love this class). Guess what the topic for the weekend was: Restoration. It was focused on Nehemiah. It's probably a book you haven't studied all the much. Here's the lowdown. Israel had been in captivity for their sinful ways once again. The ruler paid for the Israelites that wanted to to return to their land. Very few chose to return and those that did found the wall in shambles. Nehemiah and his family had remained in the foreign kingdom, he returned to Jerusalem to rebuild it (a very dangerous thing to do, considering he was the king's cupbearer, it's a bigger deal than you would think). It was about the people returning to their relationship with the Lord as well as worshipping Him. Restoring the wall. Restoring the devotion to God. Restoring His rightful place in their hearts. Get the picture?


Well I come home from this trip and I, of course, had missed the sermon from my church on Sunday since I was out of town.  I knew we were preparing for a solemn assembly that week. The church handed out a week-long daily devotional to do. Title: Restoring Your First Love. At this point, I felt God was tapping me very persistently on the forehead, standing in front of me shouting, "HELLO!!!! Are you getting this?"


"Yes, Lord, I am," but was I really? I thought so, but I was missing something. I got the restoring your First Love, putting Christ in His rightful place in your life, aka a million miles above everything else. He had been really working that into me since I'd say Thanksgiving. Passion had really hit that home for me. And January has been an attempt to live it. I've failed, many times, especially these last few days. Not necessarily putting other things, people, activities, whatever in His place, but really clinging to Him being ALL.


I knew that as I sat in the main sessions for DNOW, that God wasn't just working on restoring me to Him. Every time restoring other things was suggested, I would ask God, "What else is there? I know You are telling me something, what is it?"


The Lord is actually restoring a number things. Some things are happening differently than I thought.  But it is so good. Letting the Lord do things rather than taking them into my own hands is so much better! Tuesday I was wrestling with some stuff (I misunderstood something going on and my misunderstanding was making me upset.) And this verse kept playing in my head.


"Restore to me the joy of  Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me." Psalm 51:12 


Over and over again I kept repeating it. I love that Psalm, it's probably my favorite. It's the one I turn a lot when I know I've sinned and just don't know what to say.


I found some other verses on restoring for those of you who are experiencing what I am or long to be restored or just want to hear from the Lord.


Job 22:23
Job 33:26
Psalm 14:7
Psalm 71:20
Psalm 80:3, 7, 19
2 Corinthians 13:9
Galatians 6:1
1 Peter 5:10


"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." 1 Peter 5:10


Be blessed. Be restored.