restoration

Restoration

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath, you begin to clear your mind.-

  • Breathe in: Restore
  • Breathe out: Me

-Continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.-

through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. Colossians 1:20
Colossians 1:20

[God] has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Colossians 1:13-20

As I think about this New Year, I think about my need to be restored. As a result, restoration has become my word for 2021. I know I am not the only one who feels the need for restoration.

As I have thought about my restoration, I remembered that Jesus came to the world to restore humanities relationship with God. As Colossians 1:20 says, “through [Jesus] God was pleased to reconcile to [God’s self] all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.” My reconciliation to God comes through Jesus’ blood. Jesus is my restoration.

Jesus came to this earth to be our mediator.
Jesus came to this earth to help us see God.
Jesus came to this earth to show us God.
Jesus came to this earth so we can know God.

  • Where is your restoration?
  • What is your word for the New Year?

-Please take a moment.-

-Take some deep breaths.-

  • Breathe in: Restore
  • Breathe out: Me

God of restoration, thank you for taking the time to reveal yourself to us through your son Jesus Christ. I pray that your restoration will be with us throughout the New Year, and that we can feel a true restoration of all that has been lost. Amen

Rest in the Midst of Chaos

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breathe, you can begin to clear your mind.-

  • Breath in: Stillness
  • Breath out: All Anxiety

-Continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.-

For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Psalm 95:7a
Psalm 95:7a

O come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
    and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

O come, let us worship and bow down,
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.

O that today you would listen to his voice!
    Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
    as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
when your ancestors tested me,
    and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
For forty years I loathed that generation
    and said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray,
    and they do not regard my ways.”
Therefore in my anger I swore,
    “They shall not enter my rest.”

Psalm 95

When I am in a wilderness place in my mind, body or soul, I find that I have a hard time seeing the good in the world. I have a hard time listening to the voice of God. Even praising and worshiping God become difficult. I am at the place Israel was when they were at Meribah. It was here they questioned if God was still with them. It says about Meribah, “[Moses] called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’” (Exodus 17:7)

When I am in these wilderness places, I am not able to enter into God’s rest because I am not even sure God is there with me. I question God’s love for me, and I am not sure God is looking out for my best interests. At times like this, I cannot enter into God’s rest because I am not able to find rest within myself. It is not that God has decided that I am not worthy of entering into God’s rest. It is that I am not able to enter the rest because there is no rest within my soul. At these times, I need to take a step back from the world, and quiet my soul. I need to “Be still, and know that [God is] God!” (Psalm 46:10)

I do this by taking a long walk, doing some yoga, reading a good book, or taking a some deep breathes. How do you still your mind and soul?

  • Take 10 minutes or whatever time you have to be still in the presence of God in whatever way works for you.

-Please take a moment.-

-Take some deep breaths.-

  • Breath in: Stillness
  • Breath out: All Anxiety

God of rest, thank you for giving us the rest we need. It is hard to be restful when everything around us seems to be in chaos. Help us to take a moment, calm our minds, and enter into your rest. Amen.

Restore Us

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath you can begin to clear your mind.

  • Breath in by saying or thinking “Restore us”
  • Breath out by saying or thinking “Oh God”

-continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.

Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved. Psalm 80:3

Restore us, O God;
    let your face shine, that we may be saved.

O Lord God of hosts,
    how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
You have fed them with the bread of tears,
    and given them tears to drink in full measure.
You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
    our enemies laugh among themselves.

Psalm 80:3-6

Restore us, Oh God. The first few times I read this I thought it said, “Restore me, O God.” Living in an individualistic society, many times I think of things as being personal. I struggle against this tendency, and when I realized I was reading I instead of we I could not believe myself. I struggle against this tendency because I know the culture that the bible was originally written in and to was a more communal society. There was more concern for the group and less concern for the individual.

That being said, I know of so many people who are struggling with setbacks this year. Some have been medical, some relational, and others financial. This has been a rough year for many people, but it has also been a rough year for the world as a whole. This psalm can be prayed for many individuals in our world, and it can be prayed for the world as a whole.

Last week I went to a drive-in prayer meeting. The focus verse for the prayer meeting was 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” Our land is hurting right now. All of the Earth is hurting right now. The Coronavirus has not just hit one nation, but the whole world. The prayer for restoration might begin as an individual prayer, it quickly moves to a prayer for our nation, and then a prayer for the whole earth.

  • What in your life needs restored?
  • What needs to be restored in your community?
  • What needs to be restored in the world?

-please take a moment to do one of these questions.-

Restoring God, we pray that you will bring restoration to what has been lost. Reach down and heal our land. Heal our hearts and our souls. We seek your restoration, and ask your help in teaching us how to help bring restoration. Thank you for your restoration of our lives, our community, and our world. Amen