God will always restore us - here's why

Selected Text for Meditation - Isaiah 49:7-13

Many times life is filled with ups and downs. Now, while we’re quite happy about those up times, those down times are what we dread because they seem to go on for forever, especially when we are in the midst of them. But years later when we look back on them, we realize that they don’t seem so bad now in retrospect.

We sometimes wonder as the purpose of those bad times. Why does God allow us to go through difficult times? When we search the Scriptures for answers, we often find that these times do have a purpose. Sometimes God allows them so that we will learn lessons and become stronger, and sometimes these are a punishment for our sins. And the Israelites knew this well because they had faced these down times so many times.

 

But we must remember that God doesn’t punish His people for punishment’s sake. He does it so that His people, His beloved children can be restored. And that’s what we see in the many of the prophetic books – that God’s punishments are always restorative. They are mean to make Israel come back to God so that they can be blessed.

 

Take for example – Isaiah 49:7-13. Here, the Prophet promises the children of Israel who have been taken into captivity that God will restore His people. Please listen to these comforting words of the Lord to His chosen people -

 

"The Holy One of Israel; And He has chosen you.

 Thus says the Lord: “In an acceptable time I have heard you,

And in the day of salvation I have helped you; 

I will preserve you and give you as a covenant to the people to restore the earth.

And this is such a comforting message – one that we often need to be reminded of every now and then. These past two years (2020-21) have been hard enough on us, and on the rest of the world too. Some of us have been asking how long all these will continue. We have been praying and wondering if this is the end of the world, or if things will ever get better. Some of us ask, ‘Are we being punished?’ This was just the condition of the Israelites thousands of years ago.

But God promises them that they will be restored and then their conditions will be overturned -

¹⁰ They shall neither hunger nor thirst, Neither heat nor sun shall strike them;
For He who has mercy on them will lead them, Even by the springs of water He will guide them.
¹¹ I will make each of My mountains a road, and every path as a pasture to them.
¹³ Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted His people, And will have mercy on His afflicted.

 

So as we continue on this new year, please take comfort in the remembrance that God loves us so much and always wants to restore us to a condition better than before. 

Purpose of Restoration: Why does God delight in restoring us? Is it so that we can continue back to our old ways? Certainly not! Again, a diligent search of the Scriptures will always show us God has a specific purpose in our restoration.

 

When God tells Israel that He will restore them, it is for a purpose – it is to become the covenant people of God – to bring His light to the gentiles.

Verse 8b states - "I will preserve you and give you as a covenant to the people to restore the earth". 

This was always Israel's purpose, though she had forgotten it. In Exodus 19:4-6, we see the words of God to His people - 

"You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation". 

Israel's calling was to be a holy nation of priests. Priests unto God and unto the whole world, including the Gentiles so that they too would come to God. But they forget their true purpose and just relished their privileged position. And so they forgot their purpose and so turned away from God. 

But God never forgot His purpose for His people and so He restores them inspite of themselves. So that they will continue to be a light to those in darkness. 

In the same way, we must remember that we are also called and chosen by God, and not just for ourselves. Each of us are chosen by God to show His light to others. It is for that that He restores us. When we forget that, and only enjoy our redeemed condition, after sometime we will loose our way because we have forgotten why we have been redeemed. 

So if we have fallen short, don't worry. The God of restoration delights in restoring His people and will restore us when we repent and turn to Him. 

And when we have been restord, let us not just  simply take comfort in this but spur ourselves on to be active in doing the will of God this year, through being the salt and light of the world, and so bring others to Him.