Throughout the scriptures it is clear that when God seeks to restore, compassion is coupled along with that intention. Jeremiah 34:26 shares, “For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.” It is God’s heart for His chosen people to not only restore, but to compassionately restore something even better than before. Much like John 15 sharing about pruning even the good fruit, at times things will be removed or cut from our lives so that He can grow something even better in its place.
What Jesus is saying is that forces in this world will seek to steal, kill, and destroy much in our lives, but He has come so that we may have life and life abundantly. That is not by our design or will that He comes to give this fullness, but by His power and will. God sees the journey not only in the details, but in the grand picture, something we cannot. Trusting Him to restore in His timing and way is to have faith that ultimately it is for that abundance that is Him.
Our God Is Faithful to Rebuild and Restore
The legacy of the Lord’s faithfulness is the testimony of His actions in the lives of His children. God rejoices over us with great love and compassion through His plans. Isaiah 61 and Isaiah 62 are the story of God restoring what was lost and broken and instead giving something more glorious and new than before in its place.
Isaiah 62 shares, “No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah (delighted in, protected), and your land Beulah (married) for the Lord will take delight in you.”
When the Father seeks to rebuild, it is not as we would expect. He does not merely replace the item on the shelf that was broken, He gives something better.
More often than not, through ruins in our lives, it can be easy to wear those wounds as part of our identities. Even unspoken, we begin to call ourselves by the name Deserted or Desolate. But the Lord seeks to give instead His Name, which pours out protection, delight, and establishes a covenant between God and us of a new and glorious reformation in our lives.
May God remind you this day that He is working all things together for His glory, and for your benefit (Romans 8:28). May you have the courage to stand in faith that He will honor these promises to you in His timing and way, and that in His compassionate love we have all that we will ever need. We have life and life abundantly.
The popular phrase “everything happens for a reason” gets said a lot by Christians and non-Christians alike. When something happens to us in life, we may wonder if there is a deeper reason behind it. Most of us may have felt at times that something happened according to God’s good and gracious plans. But does the idea that everything happens for a reason align with what the Bible teaches?
What Does “Everything Happens for a Reason” Mean?
The phrase “everything happens for a reason,” though common, is not actually found in the Bible. The verse that seems most similar to this phrase is found in Romans.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who Love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
But this verse in Romans conveys an entirely different message than the phrase, “everything happens for a reason.” The Bible teaches us that as believers we can have peace and confidence in knowing that because we Love God and are called according to His purpose, God will work things together for our good.
In a world where tragedies happen, we face unexpected battles, and much is out of our control, what a comfort it is to know that God is working in our lives and will make good out of every situation because we Love Him and follow Him. We need to make sure that we are meditating on God’s Word day and night.
God is sovereign and in control of ALL things. What God Orchestrates and Allows is meaningful, significant, and purposeful. Though everything may not happen for a reason, what we find in the Bible is that God will redeem us, restore us, help us, and cause a good outcome for those of us who Love him and follow Him.
Now get ready! Jesus is coming after you. The Scripture says He leaves the ninety-nine sheep and goes after the one sheep that’s lost. He could have stayed with the ninety-nine that are on course. He could be satisfied, “I don’t want the trouble, that sheep shouldn’t have wandered off in the first place.” But He goes to the messy places. You can’t get too far down, too far off course, make too many mistakes that God will leave you alone. He will come down to where you are. The beauty is He comes not to condemn you, not to point out all your mistakes. He comes to lift you up, to restore you, to free you, to set you on a new path.
And we pray:
Dear Lord,
We have seen the damage firsthand that storms can cause in our lives. We know the destruction, aching, and devastation that they cause. If we are being honest, at times it can seem impossible that anything beautiful or good can come from such sorrows. We know within our hearts that this isn’t the end of the story, that You have something far greater to come.
Father, we ask today for Your hand in our lives. We pray for the restoration of our lives by Your process. That process may not look like what we would think or plan, but we know that because You see all that is, was, and is to come…that ultimately, You will do what is most compassionate and best. Father, today we come before Your Holy throne to ask for Your restoration in our lives. We submit ourselves to Your ever-loving will and kindness throughout.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen