Restore It Ralph
“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.”- Psalm 90:17
When you have young children in the home you are bound to have a library or playlist of animated movies that you watch over and over again. Kids movies, with their cute characters and catchy songs, seem to get downloaded into your memory (whether you like it or not). One movie our boys would watch when they were younger was “Wreck-It Ralph.” Ralph was the main character in an arcade game where he would destroy everything in sight. While he was wrecking things, another character, Felix, would follow Ralph’s rampage by restoring all that had been torn down. By the end of the movie, Ralph turns from his destructive ways to become a good guy!
That movie has been on my mind as I think about the plans and promises the Lord has in store for us in this YEAR OF BEAUTIFUL RESTORATION. The Lord is wanting to restore things in our lives that have been lost, damaged beyond repair, taken from us, or even squandered. There is a promise that Jesus is wanting us to take hold of and put all our energy towards in 2020. In Isaiah 58:12 the Lord calls the people to a beautiful work, “Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up age-old foundations; You will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”
One of the ways we are going to discover what the Lord wants to restore in our lives is by taking on a RESTORATION PROJECT in our home. I am asking each person in the church to identify something that can be physically restored in 2020 as a symbol of the thing God is wanting to touch and transform within us. It can be anything from cleaning the garage, landscaping in the yard, painting a room, or refurbishing an older piece of furniture. I love the fact that when Jesus performed a miracle it often carried with it a deeper truth and richer meaning for us, far beyond the physical blessing. For example after feeding the 5,000, the crowds of satisfied customers come back to Jesus wanting more. He answered them in John 6:35 with this truth, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.”
Here is a quick checklist as you work on your project over the next twelve months:
1) Take pictures of the entire process (i.e.- Before, during, and After photos).
2) Be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is speaking, teaching, and revealing to you during the project.
3) Keep a journal as a way of creating a testimony of God’s restorative work in your life.
4) Be open to sharing your testimony at a Sunday service.
I received the following email from a dear sister in the church just last week in response to this restoration project assignment: “Enjoyed your sermon this past Sunday. Over Christmas break we planted a garden, painted the bathroom and living room. We are on our way to beautiful restoration, but I feel it needs to continue!” The work has already begun! I can’t wait to see what the Lord puts on your heart to do and showing you the thing God is having me work on. It is a BEAUTY!