The Call to Restoration

As with so many passages in the Bible, God’s word to His people clearly had a vital historical relevance to their well-being at the time, but it also carried an eternal truth of His heart towards all of His creation. The physical condition of the Jewish people described by Isaiah in these verses has an undoubted resonance with the spiritual condition of the world around us today.

God surely still says, “Has anyone noticed the heart condition of so many people in this world, not least those who are members of the Body of Christ?” Many people have had so much peace stolen through abuse of every kind. There’s a poverty of spirit in countless lives, stealing the abundance that God intended. People have become trapped in the wounding of the past, and are often lost in self-imposed and sinful inner prisons, in an attempt to cope with the pain. Who is willing to be part of God’s rescue team?

The very character of God cries out for restoration but He chooses to work out His purposes through the calling of believers in Jesus Christ, enabled by the Holy Spirit. He is ready and willing to act but … am I?

In the well-known parable of Jesus, the Good Samaritan wasn’t religious, and he wasn’t significant in a worldly sense, but he noticed the wounded traveller. He took time to apply first aid, he rescued the plundered man out of the hostile situation, and bore the cost of ongoing restoration. In fact, he brought the heart of God into the reality of a very broken world.

Prayer: Father God, help me to notice the needs of others around me, and please give me an understanding and a willingness to be part of Your rescue team in bringing Your precious restoration. Amen.