Restoration

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and make me willing to obey you."

Psalm 51:12 NLT

Drops of blood rolled down His temple, stinging His eyes as the crimson life-giving fluid touched the sensitive tissue.  Agony seeped from every pore as the sin of all mankind rested upon Him.  It is finished.  With those words, sin lost it's power, humanity gained hope and restoration had occurred.  

A few years ago, I had seriously contemplated getting rid of our large, oak dining room table.  The veneer finish was flaking so severely that I kept it covered with a tablecloth at all times, never able to truly appreciate it's beauty.  My husband suggested that I restore its finish, but I had never tackled such a project and was unsure if I'd be able to accomplish the job.  After some time, I finally agreed to take on the challenge.

I spent several weeks in the garage sanding, buffing, cleaning and staining during those cold December days.  After much effort and pain, I stood back to admire the finished product: A glowing honey finish stared back at me from a better-than-new piece of furniture.  I was so glad I had taken the time to restore the table to it's original condition.  Now it sits proudly uncovered in the center of the dining room, appreciated by all who use it.

Restoration is not easy, but God's grace makes it possible.  Whether it be the restoration of a right spirit, faith or relationship, it can only be done by the hand of God.  He uses many different circumstances to accomplish renewal in our lives, as seen in the lives of countless people.  In each example, restoration occurs after a time.

After a Time of Humbling

His kingdom stretched to the ends of the earth. . . at least it seemed that way.  The Babylonian empire boasted new cities, temples, canals, aqueducts, gardens, reservoirs and all sorts of marvelous wonders.  Wide, straight boulevards stretched throughout the cities while massively impressive brick walls surrounded them, drawing the astonishment and awe of ancient travelers.  Certainly Nebuchadnezzar was an amazing ruler with a knack for innovation and extravagance.  

The king himself thought so as he stood atop his mighty palace one day. "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?"  (Daniel 4:30)  No sooner had the words left his lips than God began His humbling process.  The once impressive ruler was banished to the wilderness where he lost his sanity and become like an animal, sleeping out under the stars and eating grass like a cow.  God said he would stay in that state until he would, "acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes." (Daniel 4:32)

Nebuchadnezzar had to learn the hard way that God is in control and everything we have is as a result of His grace and mercy.  I think I work hard to earn the lifestyle I enjoy, but it really is a gift from God.  I like to think my good health is as a result of my attention to diet and exercise, but it really is a gift from God.  It is easy for me to believe that the blessings of my family are due to my good parenting skills, but it really is a gift from God.

As the prideful king said of God after his seven-year time of humbling, ". . .those who walk in pride he is able to humble."  (Daniel 4:37)

When God restored Nebuchadnezzar's sanity, He also returned his honor and splendor, the throne, and made him even greater than he was before.  This time, however, the newly restored king knew his place.  "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just." (Daniel 4:37)

Restoration occurred after a period of humbling.

After a Time of Suffering

Once there was a man who lived in a place called Uz.  He always tried to do the right thing, lived an honest life and was completely devoted to God.  Not only did he raise his children in the ways of the Lord, but he took a stand against all forms of evil.  Everything this man touched seemed to flourish and he became wealthy, carrying a lot of weight in regional politics.  Everyone respect Job. 

Suddenly, his life dramatically changed in the course of one day.  Several disasters occurred, one after the other, systematically taking away Job's wealth and his children.  As if that weren't enough, Job's health declined as painful open sores emerged on every square inch of his skin.  

I may not go through such a severe time of suffering, but there are times when things happen that seem cruel and uncalled for.  I lose my job, the engine in my car blows up, the marriage that seemed so strong unexpectedly crumbles, the tumor suddenly appears.  I'm left sitting in a pile of ashes that used to be my happy, contented life.  

Suffering is a part of my life as a follower of Christ. "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."  (1 Peter 2:21) But that is a hard row to hoe, as professor and author Cornelius Plantinga Jr. said, "We do not want suffering; we want success.  We identify not with those who are low and hurt but with those who are high and healthy.  We don't like lepers or losers very well; we prefer climbers and comers.  For Christians, the temptation to be conformed to this world is desperately sweet and strong.  Yet, says the apostle Paul, we are children of God if we suffer with Christ."

We will have hard times in this life, but the good news is that the pain and misery is not without purpose.  Job came out on the other end of his period of pain with a greater understanding of the sovereignty of God along with a stronger faith in the One who delivered him from the suffering.  It is said that, "After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before."  (Job 42:10)

I can be assured that the difficulties I encounter as I live for Jesus will bring about the ability to stick with the fight, to not give up when the going gets tough: My faith will be strengthened and my hope renewed to an even higher level than existed before my trial.  Just as I must challenge my muscles with increasingly higher weights and bigger challenges if I want them to grow, so my faith must be stressed with things that are beyond my own ability.  It is then that I rely on God and gain a bigger picture of His power and might.  It is then that He renews my hope.

Restoration takes place after I go through a time of suffering.

After a Time of Sin

"A certain rich man lived in a particular town.  He owned an impressive herd of sheep and cattle.  In this town lived another fellow who was quite poor and his only possession was a little lamb.  He treated this baby ewe like a pet, almost like the daughter he never had.  One day a traveler visited the rich man.  As he hated to waste one of his precious flock on a stranger, the well-to-do farmer took the peasant's little lamb and prepared it for his guest."

David's temper flared.  "What a cruel and evil man.  He deserves to die for his heartless act, plus he should pay four times what he owes for the little lost lamb."    How dare this man show such little regard for one less fortunate than he!

Nathan the prophet delivered the news to David.  "This cruel and evil man is you!"  

David, as much as he loved God, still succumbed to the pull of sin in his life.  Similarly, as a human, I am bound to fall into sin.  Even though Jesus took the punishment for my sin, releasing me from the bondage that sin holds on my life, there is still a struggle between my flesh and God's Spirit that is living within me.  I cannot let my guard down for one moment as I fight against doing what comes naturally.  

When David heard the ugly truth, instead of justifying his actions or denying the truth, he accepted it, saying, "I have sinned against the LORD." (2 Samuel 12:13a)  Any act done out of my own desires or plans that goes against God's ways is committed against God.  There is fallout; people are hurt, lives are ruined, relationships end.  The bottom line, however, is that I have sinned against the LORD.   

Even though there are consequences to my sinful actions, God has a way of restoring me to a right relationship with him when I turn away from the transgression and call it what it is: sin. As was done with David, "The LORD has taken away your sin.  You are not going to die." (v 13b) Certainly David deserved to die.  But the grace of God gives us what we don't deserve: Life.

Restoration is given after a time of sin. 

God has a way of taking that which is over-sized, beat up, damaged and useless and transforming it into something beautiful, intact and useful.  He does this by using a time of humbling and suffering, or even allowing a period of sin as a refining tool.  After that time, He will restore His followers to a condition better than before, making improvements in faith and character. 

When I go through a time of difficulty or struggle against sin, it is my desire that I will remember that restoration occurs. . . after a time.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will remember that God uses everything to bring me to the point He wants me.  

How do I fight God's humbling process?

When do I avoid suffering at all costs?

Resolved

"But Daniel resolved not to defile himself

with the royal food and wine,

and he asked the chief official 

for permission not to defile

himself this way."

Daniel 1:8

Luxuriant riches surrounded him: luscious, rich cuisine and lavish furnishings the likes he'd never seen.  His feet felt the coolness of the smooth tile, his skin the velvety touch of the silky linens, his eyes feasted on the rich tapestries and vibrant vases.  There's no doubt Daniel was far from home; far from the simple life in which he had been raised.  Far from the land of his people and God.

Just as Daniel found himself as a foreigner in a strange land, I, too, am not at home.  My heavenly dwelling awaits as the place where I truly belong.  Meanwhile, God has placed me here, as a foreigner in this strange land.

While I'm here, I can either melt into the background, becoming like the native inhabitants, or I can make up my mind to stay true to my God and His Kingdom.

Abstain

Surrounded by such a luxuriant atmosphere, it must have been quite a temptation for Daniel to succumb to the lure of the culture in which he found himself.  Since his one great desire was to please God, he found a way to remove himself from those things that were considered to be unclean or dishonoring in God's eyes. 

Daniel understood a couple of things that I haven't truly digested.  He knew that as a child of God, he is a "treasured possession."  As such, he understood and followed the teaching of God through his contemporary, Ezekiel, when God said the priests were, "to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean." (Ezekiel 44:23)  Daniel knew that there were some things God's people just shouldn't do out of respect and reverence for a holy God.

As one of God's children, I am called to live in a way that is holy as God is holy.  There are many ways in which I resemble the world around me.  I listen to the same music without a second thought, watch the same movies without flinching, and read the same books without blinking an eye.  The culture in which I find myself is abhorrent to God in many ways.  It is steeped in sex, violence and disregard for His sovereign ways.  It is a culture in which pleasure reigns supreme.  It is a culture where self is god.  In a nutshell, I live in Sodom and Gomorrah.  

As a young man who found himself in a similar setting, Daniel also seemed to understand the workings of his own flesh.  If Daniel had stayed with the rest of the group and been exposed to all the strange, unclean food of his pagan host, he may have succumbed to the temptation and joined in with the regimen this king required.  Instead, he knew the best way to stay true to God's ways was to completely remove himself from the source of temptation.

There are many temptations with which I am faced on a daily basis:  Images on television, the Internet and magazines that dishonor God.  Belief systems that place myself in the position of importance instead of God.  Ways of life that appeal to my sense of comfort and cravings yet do not show reverence for a holy God. 

If I want to please God, I would be wise to resolve to remove myself from those things that lure me into activities and thoughts that dishonor Him.

Honor God's Ways

It's hard to stick out like a sore thumb.  Everyone else was taking part in the 3-year period of training required in preparation for their service to serve King Nebuchadnezzar himself.  They were learning the ways of the Babylonians: adapting to their food, dress, language, literature and even religion.  Daniel, however, could not live with himself if He didn't honor God and the ways he had been taught to live as one of the people of the One True God.  It's not easy doing things God's way when no one else is making that choice.

It's not easy, but it is possible.  Mordecai, cousin and father figure of Queen Esther, was able to live as a follower of God in a place that not only worshiped their own gods, but also despised those who followed the Creator of heavens and earth, the God of his forefathers.  He had a reputation of honesty and forthrightness, even when it came to the King who was so easily led to destroy his people.  When a plot was discovered to kill the king, Mordecai exposed the evil plan, thus saving the leader.

When it came time to bow to the king's second-hand-man, however, Mordecai refused. All the other men around him knelt but Mordecai the Jew would give this honor to only One.   How easy it is to follow the crowd, compromising values, beliefs or commands in an effort to blend in with everyone else.  I will even go so far as pretending I do not know the Truth in order to keep from drawing attention to myself.

Jesus, however, said that, "Whoever acknowledges me before me, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.  But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven."  (Matthew 10:32-33)  When do I keep silent when my Lord's name is defiled?  How do I deny Jesus in the harsh way I treat those who irritate me?  In what ways do I fail to acknowledge God in the dishonest way I conduct business?  

If I want to please God, I would be wise to resolve to stand apart by honoring God's ways in the midst of the evil going on around me.  

Blessing from God

The sacrifices Daniel and three of his fellow exiles made did not go unnoticed. "To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning.  And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds."  (Daniel 1:17)

While there is no indication that God blessed them because of their obedience, He has said time and time again that if we do things His way, it will go well with us.

Take Joshua, for instance.  When he was the new leader of the Israelites after the death of his beloved leader, Moses, God took him aside.  He encouraged him by saying, "Be strong and very courageous.  Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Joshua 1:7-8)

Making a special effort to live my life the way God is teaching me to live as I study His Word and learn more about Him will result in blessing.  The favor of God is on me when I am living according to His ways.  He decides what that will look like, but of this I can be sure: "He blesses the home of the righteous."  (Proverbs 3:33)

If I want to please God by resolving to abstain from evil and adhere to His ways, my life will be blessed with the favor of God.

It's not easy to live in a material, shallow and godless world, but if Daniel can do it, so can I.  It is my heart's desire to please God by making up my mind to stay away from things that corrupt and keep close to things that honor God, resulting in a life blessed by Him.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will honor God with my thoughts, words and actions.  

How would making a resolution to keep myself pure of evil change the choices I make on a daily basis?

Is it possible to honor God with my life when I am partaking of so much corruption?