Restoration

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me with Your generous Spirit!

Psalm 51:12 (NLT)

As I was reading this Psalm, I came across the word restore, and it reminded me of a project that I started a few years ago restoring a classic car. When I first started all, I wanted to do was get it on the road again and be able to drive it as we had when we first bought it. However, as the project got underway the urge to restore the vehicle to its original condition and return it to the condition that it would have come from on the showroom floor overtook me and I found myself meticulously stripping the vehicle back to its bare bones. Had I known the time and effort to then source original parts to fit or make them when they could not be procured to rebuild it back to its original glory, I may have had second thoughts. In the end I did not spare anything to produce a vehicle that some say is probably better than when it came from the showroom.

I relate this to my life as more than just a little bit like the restoration of this vehicle.  Jesus came to do that, and he spared nothing to be able to restore us to showroom condition. I sometimes wonder if God would have started a project on me knowing the effort that would have gone into it.

As it says in verse 12 His generous spirit builds me up and restores me to the full joy of His salvation.  It is a gift that I can relate to the joy when I see as I drive the restored car around and I get smiles and waves from people who remember what it was like to own one when they were younger or wonder what type of car it is. I can’t even imagine what that joy will be like when we are finally fully restored with our Heavenly Father.

With whom can you share the joy of restoration in the salvation that is ours?

Father thank you that you did not spare anything to restore us to the condition that you originally had in mind for us at the beginning of creation. Help us to share this joy that you have in us with all those whom we come into contact with. Help us to walk with those who required that little bit more work for restoration and give us a generous spirit in all that we do. Amen

Stephen Zanker