21 Days of Restoration

The journey of life never ends on the mountain top or in the valley; it keeps moving forward. The caution of spiritual maturity reminds us that we should never seek to stay either on the mountain or in the valley. The Good Shepherd continues to lead us into new pastures, up steep inclines and even through other valleys of the shadow. It is our call to simply take hold of His hand and trust his leading. I think too often we trust the elations of the mountain top or the emotions of the valley and in those moments our hand slips from His.As you conclude this 21 days and move into others recall to your mind what the Holy Spirit has spoken to you. Open your hands and allow the fresh outpouring of Holy Spirit water to pour over your soul and seep into the places that may still be dry. He wants you to become a garden, fruitful and abounding in the joy of restoration. He wants you to become someone who stands in the gap and is a restorer of the breach.Jesus… today I take hold of your outstretched hand and allow my cadence to mach yours. Forgive me for walking too fast in my elation and too slow in my emotions. May your thoughts become my thoughts, your steps my steps, and your path my path. Lead me forward!May God richly bless you, and thank you for taking this journey with me. Email me your thoughts at [email protected] and make sure to share this blog with others who need restoration.

“Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;You will raise up the age-old foundations;And you will be called the repairer of the breach,The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.” — Isaiah 58:12 Are you a repairer of the breach? Will you raise up the age-old foundations? What exactly does it mean to be a repairer of the breach?Websters defines breach as a gap in the wall made by battering. It is the place where the enemy has broken through the city wall and entered to reek havoc. Early on, when the Israelites escaped slavery in Egypt and found themselves rebelling against God’s plan for their life in a place called the desert, Moses stepped in on their behalf.What had crumbled was Israel’s trust in God. They literally despised the pleasant land ahead of them and did not believe God’s word to them. They spent the day in their tents grumbling and complaining – relationship was breached, and here is what Moses did…“Therefore He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, To turn away His wrath from destroying them.” Psalm 106:23Moses stood in the place, in the gap, in the breach, where everything had fallen apart. Rebellion had broken relationship. Hopelessness had more power than promise. The hope of new beginnings became overcast by a shadow of circumstances that said this is never going to happen. Somehow bondage was more comfortable that belief.The enemy had pulled out the foundation stones that God had set, he battered their hope, the walls came down, and the enemy of their future rushed in. And yet Moses chose to stand in the breach and fight for the rebellious heart of his people. “Paths that were once overrun by the whispered lies of enemy thieves are now turned to places of peace and rest.” As you move toward wholeness and restoration, is there someone you know whose life has been breached by the siege of the enemy? Is there someone you know battered by life? Where is the breach you can stand in on someone’s behalf? How can you help someone else rebuild the broken down wall? What story from your life can you share that would give hope?ACTION: Stand in the breach.Mabye today’s action is found in the last part of this verse – to be a restorer of the paths to dwell in. These are not paths upon which they dwelt, but ones which lead to their homes – the places they dwelt.The idea here is to restore the pathways of life so there is never again access for robbers and thieves. Paths that were once overrun by the whispered lies of enemy thieves are now turned to places of peace and rest.The way in which you live your life and regulate your heart, mind, and emotions is such that the access areas the enemy used to breach your world have been shut off. One commentator put it this way, the walls are so high no robber could ever enter.The ways in which you walk and the familiar pathways that lead to life must be restored, protected, and clear. Where you choose to dwell is as important as how you get to where you dwell. My pathway to life is not paved with a political view, a financial view, a prestigious way, for me it must be a spiritual way that is illuminated by the light of the Holy Spirit. “And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, ‘Be gone!”  Isaiah 30:20-22 

“Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;You will raise up the age-old foundations;And you will be called the repairer of the breach,The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.” — Isaiah 58:12 “Perhaps somewhere in the sub-terranean chambers of your life you have heard the call to deeper, fuller living. You have become weary of frothy experiences and shallow teaching. Every now and then you have caught glimpses, hints of something more than you have known. Inwardly you long to launch out into the deep. ” — Richard J. Foster The footings of strength, honor, joy, celebration, life, family, the hustle and bustle of the marketplace, the fields where warriors were trained—these routines of life were all built over many generations. Israel walked away from God and rebelled by turning to the idols of their neighbors, the enticements of a world void of Yahweh, and all was lost… the walls were breached. The Babylonians invaded and burned the foundations of Israel to the ground… “Ask me not where I live and what I like to eat. Ask me what I am living for and what I think is keeping me from living fully for that.” — Thomas Merton How do you raise up the age-old foundations and pursue a life that is fully alive?First, have you cleared away the rubble during this season of prayer and restoration? Have you identified the leftover stones of shame and regret and discouragement—clear them off the foundation. Removed the yoke—those things that have weighed you down.Next, have you firmed up the foundation of your heart and mind? Have you embraced your identity in Christ? Are you confident, by faith, that you are a new creation? Are you ready to rebuild renewed character, renewed relationship?Restored hearts and minds become invigorated with the idea of building a new foundation for life, so where do you start?Ask yourself what are the cornerstones of your life going to be? If you were to pick four immovable stones upon which to build your life – start over, start fresh, what would they be? Have you ever thought about it?ACTION: Take time today to pray for four foundational stones you will choose to be immovable, uncompromised–the life philosophy upon which you will build your future.Spiritual disciplines – prayer, fasting, worship, sabbatical, stewardship, fellowship?Uncompromised devotional timeRegular silence and solitudeTruth and honesty without compromise?Personal reflection and meditationServe God in everything, not selfWorship over worryGod’s Word over the WorldDaily pursue better physical healthYou have been called to rebuild. You are being called to raise up the original foundations intended by your Creator to give you life and power for living.Here is my only caution when speaking like this.Don’t make this rebuilding an exercise in human wisdom and desire. It is all too easy to carve foundational stones that sound good to the world but lack integral strength in the face of eternity.As you pursue this task, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in your choices. Maybe it’s three stones, maybe it’s five, but keep the count small so the impact is large. It is easier to do a few things well than many things poorly. 

“Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;You will raise up the age-old foundations;And you will be called the repairer of the breach,The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.” — Isaiah 58:12 God is restoring you, and you can become a restorer of others. “Who among you will help rebuild the ancient ruins? Who will raise up the age-old foundations?”Ancient ruins were the result of the kingdom’s enemy coming in and destroying what was once a place of beauty, life, family, order, and commerce.Imagine with me there was a foundation upon which was built an original masterpiece called you, created by God in heaven before you were born. This home is the truest sense of you. But sin, time, decisions by you and by others had broken down that beautiful creation. Those original God-foundations have crumbled. God’s intent for your life had been derailed.The same could be said of everyone of us. BUT… slowly, brick by brick, your life is rebuilt and restored. Choice by difficult choice, you are becoming healthy again. The scorched earth and broken-down walls are finding life. God is pouring supernatural water upon you, and a garden is growing. God is giving your bones nourishment and strength. Life is beginning to look and feel like it should. It’s not all perfect, but you are being rebuilt. You are discovering who God has created you to be – that original masterpiece is coming back into focus. This is what God desires.Remember, as we have worked through this passage of scripture, that there is more going on than just what God is doing in you. A fast for restoration has much to do with extending your soul to touch the lives of others. “Those among you will rebuild the ancient ruins and raise up the age-old foundations.”The re-built become the builders.The restored become the restorers.The healed become the healers.The brought low becomes the ones who raise up.Is there someone you know who needs the restoration you are experiencing? Even if all has not been restored, it’s time to become a restorer—a rebuilder. None of us can do the rebuilding alone. You have something deeply profound to offer others. Your action for today is to write down the name of someone you know then pray about reaching out to them to offer healing through a genuine growing relationship.“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

“And the LORD will continually guide you,And satisfy your desire in scorched places,And give strength to your bones;And you will be like a watered garden,And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” — Isaiah 58:11 God wants to give strength to your bones. What exactly does this mean and how does it apply to your life?Your bones are the structure upon which your body lives. Life literally comes from your bones. Blood is life. It is in your bones that blood is created. The marrow in your bones is critical to your immune system. God is saying He will strength the deep places within you where life is produced, and where immunity against the ills of life is created.The imagery an Israelite would quickly see in the words “He will strengthen…” is that of being girded or equipped for war. This is the kind of strengthening God wants to give you. He wants you to war, so you can win. This is a strength that wins over oppression, worry, and exhaustion. How do we overcome? We overcome, not only by the blood of the Lamb and the word our testimony (Revelation 12:11), but we win because somewhere deep within us God has created a spring of life. The will to win takes over because the core of your identity has been transformed by knowing and loving your Savior. Isaiah beautifully introduces us to this  “Behold; God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the Lord God is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. Therefore you will joyously draw water from the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:2, 3 “Not only will God strengthen what gives you life—your bones, He will equip you for the war you are in” Not only will God strengthen what gives you life—your bones, He will equip you for the war you are in. God will strengthen you to go back to those places once scorched with fire and retake the territory the enemy meant to destroy.As you read this next scripture, keep in mind what place this message speaks into:“Do not remember (dwell or keep calling to mind) the former things, Or ponder (give your full attention to) the things of the past. Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing. Now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, (an economy of life), rivers in the desert, (life that pours over a barren place), the beasts of the field will honor Me, jackals and ostriches, because I have given waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. The people whom I formed for Myself (God has not made you for the world, but for himself) will make known My praise.” Isaiah 43:18, 19Today is a day to praise God. Today is a day to believe again.God’s plan for you is to heal what was scorched, to open a heavenly spring of life, to strengthen your bones for health and for war, to water a barren place so much so that a lush garden begins to grow. God wants to give life, beauty, fruit, and supply for those who come in and out of your life.I will give strength to your bones;And you will be like a watered garden,And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

“And the LORD will continually guide you,And satisfy your desire in scorched places,And give strength to your bones;And you will be like a watered garden,And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” — Isaiah 58:11 Today we come to a portion of our passage that becomes incredibly personal. This is about you. This is about now. This is about restoration for you. Read this slowly and listen to the whispers of the Holy Spirit as you read.And the Lord will continually guide you,And satisfy your desire in scorched places…A scorched place is a barren place. It is a place where something once thrived and grew but has been burnt to the ground. A scorched place is a place where life has been aggressively wiped away, hope has been dashed, and the future razed to the ground.  “It is God’s desire to satisfy your desire in the most broken and barren place of your past or present.” There is an historical military philosophy called the “scorched-earth” policy. This is a policy where the military comes into an area and burns and destroys everything of value; crops that supplied food, the water supply is poisoned, livestock killed, and with it food and an economy and much more. No one can live in a place like that.How can desire be satisfied in a place like that? If you apply this to your life, there is no greater message then this. Where have you been scorched? In what area of your life did fire fall and life get stripped away? This is a place where life and hope once thrived and gave you strength for your day, but now there is nothing but scorched earth. A bomb was dropped. A sickening truth revealed.  A lie told. A deception perpetrated. A betrayal that devastated. What event or moment in your past has left you barren and empty? Where is that place you need restoration?Listen carefully. In that place, that scorched place, what is your deepest desire? What is your greatest need? What has been lost that you need restored? ACTION: What is your desire in the aftermath of destruction? Write down your desire – it’s ok. Scripture teaches us that if you delight yourself in the Lord, He will give you the desire of your heart.It isn’t easy to find any delight in scored places, but notice it is not delight in circumstances – it is delight in the Lord. It is into that place where the creative breath of God will breathe today. It is God’s desire to satisfy your desire in the most broken and barren place of your past or present. God will give strength to your bones and transform that wasteland into a well watered garden whose waters will never fail. Trust him.

“And the LORD will continually guide you,And satisfy your desire in scorched places,And give strength to your bones;And you will be like a watered garden,And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” — Isaiah 58:11 When your heart and motivation are in the right place, and when the reason for your fast is less about your expectation and more about God’s impartation, He will continually guide you.He will guide you on your path to freedom.He will walk with you on your path to restoration.He will lead you on your path to wholeness.Your guide must be God. Your guide must be the Way-maker. The One who, before the foundations of the earth, prepared a pathway for you to walk upon (Ephesians 2:10).God speaks these beautiful and instructive words through the prophet Jeremiah when He says, “Thus says the LORD: Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” — Jeremiah 6:16 Do not seek the newest trend, the newest philosophy, the latest fad. God says, “Ask about the ancient pathways where there is always good… then walk in that way and you will find rest for your soul.”What is the ancient pathway? God calls His people to stand at the gate and ask the wise sages about the old ways of living a life that pleases Him. These are the everlasting paths God laid down from the beginning of time – paths that are pleasant and pleasing. It is God’s desire to lead you in the way everlasting. But to be refreshed and restored, you have to make a concerted and a purposeful decision to seek out the ancient path that God would lead you down. If you want your life to change, you have to choose to change through action.What is that path for you?The path of prayer?The path of worship?The path of devotion?The path of surrender?The path of discipline?The path of forgivenessThe path of selfless living?The path of being still and listening?In your action box write your response to this question. What path are you seeking today?

“And if you give yourself to the hungry (If you draw out your soul)And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,Then your light will rise in darknessAnd your gloom will become like midday.” — Isaiah 58:10 I love the first rays of sun that creep over the canyons and tree tops when I’m out camping in the wilderness. It’s usually cool, and the sun’s warmth brings comfort from the crisp night; it brings anticipation of adventures that await.The power and properties of light are seen throughout scripture. In Genesis God created the light. The temple was given the lampstand of light. When Matthew speaks of Jesus’ birth, he says, “the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” Mathew 4:16The New Testament priest Zechariah gives us a beautiful picture of Jesus as a sunrise that gives light, “because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:78-79Jesus himself said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12Jesus’ very nature is to dispel darkness, to be the light of the world, to illuminate the pathway in front of us. I can think of times in my life when I felt like I was in the midst of darkness, pulled into the gloom of hopelessness and hurt. More than ever I needed the light of Jesus to guide my way toward peace and warm the cold nights of failure and disappointment. Here is my challenge to you. As Jesus lifts the gloom from your life, and as freedom comes in like the light of a new morning cresting the canyons, let it fill every space of darkness in your life. Let His light become your light. Ask for it even now as you read this.Today’s reading says, “Then your light will rise in the darkness…”Even when you are in the midst of a dark place, God’s promise is clear. Your light will rise in a place where there is no light. Choose not to focus on the night, and instead focus on the light.  “Imagine every action God has worked in your life as a single particle of light that gathers with all of the other moments of grace, love, and forgiveness to ignite a light that is undeniable.” Imagine every action God has worked in your life as a single particle of light that gathers with all of the other moments of grace, love, and forgiveness to ignite a light that is undeniable. Invite God-given strength to rise within you and lift your heart to a better place; a light that others see as a witness to the transformative work of God in your life. Transformative because our scripture tells us our gloom will become like the midday. The thing that brought calamity and pulled you into your gloom WILL be transformed into the brightness of the mid day.

“And if you give yourself to the hungry (If you draw out your soul)And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,Then your light will rise in darknessAnd your gloom will become like midday.” — Isaiah 58:10 As we work through this passage in Isaiah 58 I’m reminded that the context is God’s challenge to a heart attitude that is amiss. It is amiss because Israel’s expectations of God are found in religion and ceremony. Their expectations of God are exactly that— an “I expect…” attitude. It is an expectation of God rooted in what one should get. While this scripture is filled with personal action on an internal level, God turns our attention away from ourself toward those in need.Loosen the bonds of others.Share your bread with the hungry.Clothe the naked.Stop pointing your finger at others.Turn from your desires and meet the desperate needs of others.Transformation and freedom are released as we surrender to God while giving to others.Jesus gives us the most profound reality of reaching out when He talks about the day we will all face:“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:34-40Who are those in your life that you might consider afflicted? This word afflicted refers to those who are thwarted, frustrated, bowed down, put down, imprisoned by other’s actions, desperate and alone. What do these afflicted people need? What is it that you have that can meet that need? What will you do this week when you see those needs? “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” 

“And if you give yourself to the hungry (If you draw out your soul)And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,Then your light will rise in darknessAnd your gloom will become like midday.” — Isaiah 58:10 God is giving us a second “if.” The first one was in the last verse “if you remove the yoke from your midst...” (v. 9). This if is much more personal and honestly one I need more time to apply to my life.God says, “if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted… then.”The Hebrew here is napse meaning throat, neck, breath, living being or soul. God is pressing us to give our heart, our very breath to those who need breath; to stick our neck out. It feels deeply powerful and deeply challenging. I’m not there. To satisfy the desire of the afflicted is to follow through and risk. Desire of the afflicted is a word phrase akin to napse and sounds similar. Nepes, means nearly the same thing as soul.  “God is pressing us to give our heart, our very breath to those who need breath.” It is as if God is saying the desire and satisfaction that the afflicted seek needs to become our own at the deepest level of whom we are – our very breath and soul.The afflicted are those who are bowed down, or hunched down. These are the people who are filled when God’s people give themselves freely and offer food, hope, encouragement and a real connection of community. It’s not a turkey drive at Thanksgiving, or Christmas dinner baskets that come around once a year. For our light to rise, healing to come, and the yoke to be broken we must go beyond our need and satisfy the soul and desire of those who are afflicted.Verse ten is a repeat of verse seven because we need to hear it again. I re-read this verse in a variety of translations, but none give it the weight it deserves. It is a profound ask that God is bringing. God’s heart is so passionately drawn to the afflicted, the broken, and the destitute. Jesus came to release the oppressed from their prison, to give sight to the blind, to touch the lame, and open the mouths of the mute. In a word, Jesus breathes freedom, and the breath of His Spirit lives within us. How is your breathing?Father, may our heart be bound to the hearts of those who are truly afflicted and broken.