Spring 1995
Our God of Restoration
Glady E Raj

David knew his Lord as a God of Restoration.

"He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths
of righteousness for his name's sake" Psalm 23:3.

According to Acts 3:21, all things which God has spoken are to be restored before the second coming of Christ.

"Whom the heaven must receive until the times of
restitution of all things, which God hath spoken
by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the
world began" Acts 3:21

David and his men suffered a great loss, as recorded in I Samuel chapter thirty. The Amalakites burnt their homes and carried away their women, children, and possessions. So great was this loss that these strong men of war wept so much that they had no more tears to shed. This loss seemingly was beyond all hope of recovery.

However, "our God of restoration" enabled them to recover all that had been lost, and much more beside. They recovered so much that they were able to pay all their debts and send gifts to those who had shown hospitality to them during this critical time of their wilderness experience.

Many of us have lost something. Some have lost their Bible, wallet, suitcase, or watch. Whatever our loss may have been, we felt the loss; but when we recovered such, there was rejoicing. We were filled with joy over the restoration of our loss, especially when there seemingly was no hope of recovery.

It is the same spiritually. We experience many kinds of spiritual losses due to our faults and failures. Many have lost their joy, or their faith because of trials and sufferings. Others have lost their awareness of God's presence, or the knowledge of His will. Many have lost the anointing they once had. Some have lost their appetite for God's word, or the burden for prayer and intercession which they had in the beginning of their spiritual journey.

These are saying, "I will never have my former joy and peace again," or they may be saying, "the Lord cannot use me as He once did." Whatever we may have lost spiritually, THERE IS HOPE. Our God is a God of Restoration.

The Bible begins with the story of a very great loss (Geneses 3:24), and ends with a great restoration (Revelation 21 and 22). Adam lost his power and dominion over the earth and was driven from the Garden and from the presence of the Lord. This was a terrible loss. No man can estimate the loss incurred by the first Adam.

But praise be to our God of Restoration. Now we can recover all through our Lord Jesus Christ. In the book of Revelation chapters twenty-one and twenty-two, we see how the loss in Geneses chapter three has been restored by the power of the cross.

II Kings 6:1-7 is a familiar story that speaks to us about the loss and recovery of an ax head. Here the Scripture reveals that whatever has been lost spiritually can be recovered. It may seem impossible, but with the help of our God of restoration, there can be a recovery.

The young man did not go to Elisha to say, "Master, the fault was in the handle; it was loose before I used it." He made no attempt to cover his faults. There are many believers who have lost God's anointing due to their negligence and they do not know the way to recovery.

We also should not attempt to cover our folly and shame. Rather, we should openly and honestly express to the Lord where the loss began in our lives. We should humble ourselves at the Lord's feet and confess our loss and failure to Him. Then the iron will begin to swim like a straw and every loss will be fully recovered. The power of the cross will cause us to return with new faith and power.

Underline in your Bible, "David recovered all" I Samuel 30:18. Now strike off David and put your name there and read loudly and recover that which you have lost, and then press on to spiritual maturity.

There is a present restoration that is taking place in the individual Christian's life in the area of prayer, praise, worship, devotion, and holiness. A glorious church is being formed, and Satan trembles as God restores all that was lost to His people, as He promised.