| And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. |
| —1 Peter 5:10 |
Have you ever salvaged something from an old barn, or found a treasure at an antique mall or flea market? Or, maybe your grandmother gave you an old tea pitcher or a clock that just has never seemed useful to you. But, when someone with an eye for such things sees this object, that one can clean and restore it and bring it to life from what you may have thought was worthless.
Many of us enjoy picking out objects that we believe can have a new life. I wonder if we realize that’s exactly what God has done with us. From before the foundation of the earth, He saw something in us that He could clean and restore. So, in due season, He sent His Holy Spirit to salvage us—to clean and restore us—and make us over into a new person.
The word “salvation” actually comes from the same root word as the word “salvage.” The Apostle Paul put it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Yet, some of us, who have become new creations in Christ, have also become battered along the way by the trials of this world and by the persistence of sin in our own lives. Like a piece of new furniture that has become water spotted and broken down through years of neglect and wrongful purposes, we have become broken down because of our own neglect and wrong doing. The good news is that just as a talented craftsman can restore that old, battered piece of furniture, so God can restore us, as one of His own dearly loved children, who have suffered neglect and misdirection in our lives.
How does this process of becoming cleaned and restored by God proceed?
It begins when we see ourselves as God sees us. We must recognize the potential we have and the new function He wishes to employ in us. We must trust Him that when He puts the harsh paint remover to us, or the lye to clean us up, He is preparing us for new and wonderful service ahead. Once we see the new beauty He brings forth in us, we will only want to praise and delight Him through a new obedience to His ways.
If we desire the cleaning and restorative touch of God in our lives today, let me suggest that we use the following words to instruct our prayers for cleaning and restoration.
Begin with Psalm 23:3:
“He restores my soul.”
Next, from Psalm 52:12:
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
Then, from Psalm 126:4:
“Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev.”
Finally, these words of God from Joel 2:25 NKJV:
“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten.”
Once, we see the lost splendor of our lives given new life and purpose, we will rejoice with the nineteenth century hymn‑writer, Henry Lyte:
Praise my soul, the King of heaven,
to His feet your tribute bring;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who, like me, His praise should sing?
Praise Him, Praise Him, Praise Him,
Praise Him, Praise the Everlasting King.
