RESTORATION
Our God is Awesome! The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Mount Zion Chapel, Toledo had a successful 20th-year Anniversary celebration. To God be the glory. This year, the focus has been on Psalm 23, so, this month of May, our attention is on Psalm 23:3a.
HE RESTORES MY SOUL PSALM 23: 3A.
The Lord is our Restorer. The word “restore” comes from the Hebrew word “shuwb” (shoob) which means “to repair, to cause to return, to bring back, to allow to return.” Restoration assumes that something is missing or a loss has occurred, usually that of something good in all aspects of life. God said in Joel 2:25-27, “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame. Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.”
God does His restoration in different ways among which are:
1. Divine Discovery. In Luke 5:2-3, Peter did not invite Jesus into his boat. Jesus just decided to use his boat and after that, Peter began to soar, he left all and began to catch men. God turned him to a new man. The same discovery happened to Mary the mother of Jesus who did not elect to be who she was but God selected her for her greatness.
2. Divine Empowerment. This is a process of restoration because God empowers you to do what you cannot do before. From the time Peter met Jesus in Luke 5, he became a new man and he began to soar, he left all and began to catch men. God turned him into a new man.
3. Divine Assistance. When Queen Esther’s (Esther 1-10) story began, she and her people were living as exiles in Persia, but God restored Esther to be queen and her people became free individuals that were not discriminated against anymore. Haman, who wanted the Jews destroyed in the first place, was killed on his own gallows.
4. Divine Defender. God can restore by defending the individual. The Almighty God is there to protect. The Lord restored David at different times of his life, from wars with the Philistines, King Saul, his son Absalom, and his personal Adamic nature. God says in Psalm 89:22-24, “The enemy shall not outwit him, Nor the son of wickedness afflict him. 23 I will beat down his foes before his face, And plague those who hate him.” God is able to defend you as He defended David so that you are not defeated but be an overcomer.
5. Divine Companion. God can also restore by being a companion. In Psalm 89:24, the Almighty God says, “But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him, And in My name, his horn shall be exalted.” God promised Moses, in Exodus 33:14, “And He said, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest’.”
God is able to restore spiritually, physically, maritally, financially, and otherwise. This fifth month of the year, which signifies grace, His grace is abundantly available for restoration. 1 Peter 5:10 says, “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.”
PRAYERS:
1. Father, awesome God, thank you for the success of the 20th-anniversary celebrations of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Mount Zion Chapel Toledo.
2. Father, please locate me for restoration in Jesus’ name.
3. Father, this month and henceforth, send destiny helpers to me and my family in Jesus’ name.
4. Father, by Yourself, visit me this month and defend me, use the element of the universe to fight for me and my family in Jesus’ name.
5. Thank you, Lord, for your grace to restore and make me be who You want me to be so as to fulfill destiny in Jesus’ name.
Welcome to May 2023, your month of Restoration.
Yours in Him,
Pastor Lillian Haastrup
