God Restores the Broken
in Grace, Faith
From a human perspective, something once broken and then "restored" is never as good as it once had been. The fracture has created an inherent weakness that no repair can ever make right again, which is true even with an excellent restoration that outwardly seems perfect and new. Perhaps that is why it is so difficult for us to grasp the idea of God's complete restoration of the human soul. Surely, a person can never be as strong, beautiful, untarnished, or even clean as he was before his shattered life. We often assume that although improved, his renewed life will always be subpar to what it could have been.
But God holds no such view, because He delights to restore the broken, and His work is complete, thorough, and without fault. Surprisingly, when He restores a life, the finished product is better than it ever was before the break. His work is not shoddy, and his product is not lesser. Isaiah 52 provides an excellent example as God shares His plan and vision to restore Israel not only to her land, but also to honor and holiness. If she will allow Him to work, He will recreate her without spot or blemish, just as if she had always been whole. God was calling His people then, and He is calling us now, to trust Him in the waiting and renewal.
God Frees from the Bondage of Sin
When God comes to Israel in her brokenness, she has been captive in Babylon, reaping the consequences of sin and wrong choices. She is now in a place where no help exists. Nothing is left for her. Sin is what breaks us, shattering our lives. And like Israel in Isaiah 51, we often find no earthly help. Sin shames, embarrasses, alienates, oppresses, and binds us. Sin brings us low. But Isaiah 52 captures a turning point in which God calls His people to awaken and prepare for deliverance and a complete restoration.
Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. Isaiah 52:9
God declares that with His mighty arm, He will break the bonds of sin and take revenge on Israel's oppressors. He offers them freedom--complete freedom to live for their God who is a good master. However, they must trust Him and believe that He is the One who restores--and no one else.
Do we believe this today?
Do Not Live Like You Are Still in Bondage
You are not. Once God breaks the shackles and frees you, you are free indeed. So, do not live like you still belong to the Oppressor or assign any power to him. You serve a new master now, and the old has passed away. Look forward to the new, (because it really is a new life)! It is true that sin still wants you for a slave, but you live under new management once Jesus is not only your Savior but also the Captain of your soul. The Lord gives Israel explicit instructions:
Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. Isaiah 52:2
Once the Lord breaks the chains, it is Israel who must remove herself from their weight and entanglement. Such action teachers her not to view herself as captive to sin and the Enemy. Rather, she is free in Christ. If you are still living under the weight of sin that Christ has forgiven and cleansed (1 John 1:9), then it is time to claim God's promises and see yourself as the new creature He has made you.
God's Plan May Defy Expectations
Also remember that God's way of deliverance and path forward are not always what is expected. Moses was not the people's obvious choice for a leader, and the Red Sea was not in anyone's plans. Those steps in the process were completely by God's design: no one saw them coming. Likewise, no one would have expected a gentile, Persian king (Cyrus) to be God's chosen vessel to restore Israel to her homeland.
There will be times God wants to work in your life but it might not be in ways you expect. In fact, it might not always make human sense. He chooses to work out His plan so that it points back to Him, and we cannot miss it. God's name is stamped all over the final product, because only He could accomplish it in this way. It is God's voice and hand at work in our lives, and He wants everyone to know that restoration power belongs to Him.
To not live like you are still in bondage requires faith that God will perform this miraculous restoration for you, in the name of Jesus Christ. Do not disregard the unexpected.
Accept and Share His Restoration Power
As God brings Israel back to Jerusalem and begins physically and spiritually restoring the nation, we see something beautiful rising from the wreckage. This is the Lord's specialty, making something beautiful out of what He personally pulls from the ashes. He is serious about this business of restoration.
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. Isaiah 61:3
As He does this for Israel, He does this for each of us who are His children.
When you receive God's restoration power, when He heals you, shuts the door on your past, and miraculously moves you toward a restored life, remember those who still need this message of hope. Share the hope of Christ.
God's Restoration Exceeds Expectations
Expect something miraculous as He works to renew your life. Just as God parted the Red Sea to deliver Israel from Pharoah, He supernaturally leads the Babylonian captives out of their captivity and marches them home.
For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward. Isaiah 52:12
They will not have to flee in terror for their lives, as escaped captives typically would. There will be no need to hide. Instead, they will walk out of Babylon, free and clear, with the blessing of the gentile king. Israel will exit the city of their captivity as in a victory parade, free citizens of their homeland and their God. God will be before them and behind them as their protector and guide. His strong arm would be on display for the world to see.
Do not ever buy the lie that your divinely restored life is less valuable, no matter how broken you have been. God delights in exalting the lowly and showing Himself mighty. You are His showcase, evidence of His mighty love and grace.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
Trust Unlocks God's Restoring Grace
The faithful members of captive Israel had to be willing to trust God above the life they had come to know in Babylon. They had built homes and businesses there and made lives for themselves. While they were not free to worship and live as the Lord intended for them, they had learned to be content enough as captives. One might say they had become comfortable with oppression and managed to survive with another identity. But God wanted more for them. He was ready to return them to where they belonged and restore complete fellowship with them.
In this process, Israel could not stay passive. To receive the gift of freedom, she must choose the unknown over the known, the irrational over the rational, and God's will over short-term comfort. Many Israelites chose to stay in captivity and forsook God's best for them. But some clung to God's Word and promises, believing that He would deliver on His terms and in His way, even if it did not make human sense.
The remnant or faithful of Israel return in faith to a city that had been been leveled, a city where nothing awaits them. They know they must begin again at ground zero with only God as a guide, provider, and sustainer. They choose to walk by faith and not by sight, and so must we.
If you want to see the powerful, restorative hand of God in your life, you must not dwell on what seems possible or the road ahead. Only God knows what lies before you. Instead, focus on Him. Dwell on Him, and find your delight in Him. Trust He will build your city anew, shining and beautiful as it ever was.
Feeling uncertain about your relationship with God? Watch this video.
