Word for Wednesday-Restore
I purchased my pickup truck new in 2003. It has traveled up and down the East Coast over the years, mostly pulling horses to shows, to shows that created many outstanding memories for my family. That old
truck has survived teenage drivers, snowstorms, telephone poles, guardrails and tree collisions. As the saying goes, “it takes a licking, but keeps on kicking!”
Bent bumpers, dents and scratches, broken tailgate latches, a seat torn here and there - yet, still it survived. I would look at it, and the memories flowed. But I also would think, I need a new truck. The styles have changed, the new ones are shiny and brilliant. My old truck has dim headlights.
We kept thinking, though, that truck - while inanimate - feels like family. Let’s get everything fixed. Let’s restore it to the former glory. And so we did. After months of waiting, our truck came back from the shop, looking good as new. Even the headlights are back to being bright.
As I grow gray around the temples, I look back on life, the memories, the rewards, the tragedies, the broken dreams and dashed hopes, the victories and successes. Both the good and the bad. While I don’t dwell on it, there was a season of spiritual drought. It came along slowly but lasted for
years and years. I didn’t notice it for a while, but things were changing in life. Then, as slowly as the drought came, a season of restoration came about.
Psalm 23:2–3 (NIV): He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.
He has restored my spirit and my soul. He made me slow down, think and lie in the “green pastures.” Spiritual experiences come and go. Spiritual awakenings come and stay. He awakened me up from a spiritual sleep. He performed it as He does many things in life; He did it counter intuitively. He slowed me down, to wake me up.
How about you? Have you slowly drifted into a slumber of spiritual sleep? Perhaps like me, an accumulation of life events happened that created distance from and even anger toward God. Like my truck, the bumps, crashes and detours in life have taken their toll. Hopefully, like me, you can have a Spiritual Awakening that stays, that restores your soul and that brings you back into harmony with His plan for you.
Prayer: Lord, awaken me up by slowing me down. Make me lie in your “green pastures” so that I may be restored and made new again. Make me shine for your glory. In Christ’s name, Amen.
David Massey