Restoration

Read Psalm 147:1-11

Praise the Lord!

How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the downtrodden; he cats the wicked to the ground.

Psalm 147:1-6 (NRSV)

[The Lord] restores my soul. he leads me in right paths for his name's sake. Psalm 23:3 (NRSV)

Steven R. Schlesselman lives in Oklahoma. After countless hours of use on hot, dusty baseball fields, his two son's baseball mitts would invariably wear out. The leather would dry out and crack, and the laces would fray, stretch, and break. Instead of buying his sons new gloves every spring, Steven learned to restore their favorite mitts by re-lacing them and treating the leather with restorative products. When Steven was finished, the gloves were as good as new.

At times, Steven has felt that his spiritual life was like those worn-out gloves. Sometimes he has neglected to read scripture, pray, and meditate, or even attend church. Strained relationships, substance abuse, financial concerns, or health problems seemed to break him down and make him feel useless.

However, scripture tells us that when our spirit is broken, God will bind up all our sorrows and restore us to wholeness. Steven's sons' well-worn baseball mitts were restored to usefulness when he took the time to care for them. Similarly, his soul is restored when he turns his heart and mind to God through daily prayer, meditation, scripture reading, and worship. When God restores Steven's souls, he is able to continue serving and bringing God glory.

Prayer: Thank you, daring God, for restoring our souls when we are worn down. Guide us back into your loving arms, in Jesus' name. Amen.