"He makes all things new..."

"See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come."

Song of Solomon 2:11-12

I love this verse because it speaks so clearly of restoration. The flowers that have been dead over winter come alive in spring. Spring is a time for rejoicing because all things become new and fresh and colourful! It's such a beautiful picture of our spiritual restoration - we were dead but Jesus made us alive in Him and now we have a reason to rejoice!

Jesus came that He might restore that which the enemy has broken and destroyed. The thief came to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus came to give LIFE and life more abundantly. He came to restore us, to make us whole, to bring us into the fullness of who God created us to be.

The word "restore" itself can also be translated as "deliver" "recompense" "perfect" "repay" etc.

We are all need of restoration. From the very day we were born, we were in need of the Saviour's restoration. I don't want to confuse redemption and restoration. You can redeem a slave by buying them back at whatever price but it's a whole different thing to restore that slave to what they were always meant to be. Many people accept Jesus' redemption but never actually allow Him to restore them.

As you can tell, I've been thinking alot about restoration. I love that God wants to make me whole, He wants to makes us all WHOLE. Since I was a little girl, the enemy has been trying to destroy me and break me of all that God has placed in me. He wants to steal any seed of the love of Father in me, He wants to kill my desire and He wants to destroy any hope I may have in Jesus. BUT Jesus comes to give life. He comes to restore all that the enemy has tried to shatter. He comes in and picks up all the pieces. But He doesn't just pick up the pieces and leave me to put them back together myself; He picks up the pieces and He carefully, gently and lovingly glues them back together to make me NEW.

I love the broken glass illustration. By breaking glass and then putting it back together, you make it stronger. So when we break and Jesus puts the broken pieces back together we become whole and when we're whole in Jesus, we are stronger.

The Kingdom of God brings restoration. In Jesus, life is restored to what it was meant to be. Jesus didn't come to just offer help to a broken world but He came to completely restore and offer hope. So Jesus not only restores us but He gives us hope. He's given me hope beyond measure. "He has set eternity in our hearts." He set it in my heart, not in my mind or anywhere else for that matter because in my heart, I find the ability to desire deeply. And I cannot hope for what I do not desire. I can only hope for what I desire in my heart. So God please help me to live in the light of eternity and to desire eternity in my heart of hearts because when I am reunited with You in glory that is when I will experience the Great and Perfect Restoration. I cannot wait!

Come, Lord Jesus, come!