God is Good. God restores. God is Generous.
I misunderstood the concept of restoration for a long time. I fully expected God to restore the exact thing that was lost. The scene in my head was of losing and then finding a particular object. Say, for example, you lost your wallet. Someone else finds it and tracks you down to return it to you. That’s the picture of restoration I had. I lost something, and God essentially finds it and brings it back. Perhaps God does work that way in some situations, but that is not the concept of restoration.
God’s promises of restoration throughout Scripture relate to Him restoring us to himself. We are lost and wandering, and God brings us to Himself through Christ. He restores our soul, our mind, our spirit.
Scripture also speaks of God restoring physical things and earthly relationships that are lost, though He does not promise to always do so. I misunderstood this for a long time, too. God CAN restore and often chooses to restore – but He does not promise to restore everything earthly that we lose. He does not guarantee to restore finances, possessions, or even relationships, however, He often does because He is GOOD and GENEROUS.
Honestly, I wrestle with this one often. Because I am so incredibly focused on the earthly things before me, I find it easy to value tangible items over eternal blessings. I find myself thinking, “That’s great that God is going to give me peace and everything, but what am I going to do about this broken relationship? When is He going to make that right?” Or, “When is He going to restore my finances so I can have peace with my bank account?” I am so quick to assume that my physical comfort or personal relationships must be restored, rather than focusing on the spiritual restoration that I desperately need.
7 months ago, I sold a house that I loved and have lived in for 8 years. It was the first house that I ever owned, and despite the bittersweet memories it held, I had planned to live there for many more years. I did not willingly or easily part with it.
In the same week that I sold that house, I married Jon. On April 18th, God restored something that Jon and I had both lost, and He did it in a beautiful way that neither of us could have predicted. Because He is good and He restores.
Yesterday, we closed on a house. When I sold my house and moved into Jon’s rental, we hoped and planned to one day buy a house together, but we didn’t know when that would happen. We now own a home together that is far better than the one I longed to keep. God is good and God restores.
Even if we hadn’t bought this house, God would still be good and He would still be a God who restores. God extends so much grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love to us on a daily basis that we cannot deny His goodness. He constantly seeks us out and attempts to restore our relationship with Him, even though we mess up. A lot. He is a God who restores.
He is also a generous God who can replace things that were lost and build new relationships when others crumble.
He is Good. He Restores. He is Generous.
Steel-Toed Stilettos 