Sunday Service: 15/05/2022
Supporting Scripture: Joel 2: 25-27
Title of Message: A God Who Restores
Delivered by: Pastor Mercy
“So, I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. 26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame. 27 Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.”
Restoration – what a powerful word. And it means to renew, repair, or return to a former state of goodness. What do you think of when you hear that word? Perhaps you imagine your health or marriage restored. Perhaps you imagine your family restored. Perhaps you imagine your career that is failing, or your self-esteem restored. Whatever your picture is, we know that our God is a God of new beginnings, and a God of second chances. God is in the restoration business! Job experienced this. He lost everything, and the book records his struggles with himself and with God during that time of devastation. Then at the end of the book, he had everything restored: his health, more land than he had before, more money, more kids.
Joel lived about 400 years before Jesus. During his lifetime Israel was going through a period of darkness because 600 yrs before that, in 1000 BC Israel had been a great economic and military power in the Middle East, especially during the reigns of Kings David and Solomon. Their wealth grew and great programs of building temples and palaces were undertaken as their borders expanded. But all that changed quickly. After Solomon’s death the nation was torn in two by a power struggle. The now divided kingdoms were never again as strong as when David was king. Both kingdoms went through a steady moral, economic and political decline until first the north, and then the south, were conquered. There was no freedom on the land. So, Israel was badly in need of restoration. And Joel brought them news of this restoration.
Many people enjoy watching the sunrise. Sunrises are significant because they come after long, dark nights. Sunrises are significant because they are signs of hope. In the midst of hopelessness, a light shine – first a spark and then a flame of light. Sometimes during those dark parts of our lives when all seems to be going wrong, when all hope seems gone, there appears a sunrise. Suddenly in the darkness of our situation, there is a colour and light in the distant sky – then in an instant a bright light floods over the horizon dispelling the darkness. That was what Israel needed at that time. And that is what we often need as well.
In the midst of that darkness Joel saw a light from heaven, much like a sunrise after a dark night. It was a hope for the people of Israel, and he preached that hope. Like Job, they were to have their material blessings restored. No longer would God allow these pagan insects to infest their land. No longer would they go hungry, but they would have plenty. However, this restoration promised in Joel even goes beyond that. It is about spiritual blessings. It is about the restoration of the whole of creation and it’s because of God’s graciousness, not because of any human effort. In verse 26, God says, “My people shall never again be put to shame.” Another thing that Joel sees happening in this total restoration is the closeness and intimacy between God and humanity restored, as he says in vs. 27: “you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel.”
This promise of restoration went beyond what they could have anticipated, beyond what they imagined, or probably even Joel imagined. So, in our lives, we need to be open to the new beginnings God is bringing to us, open to God’s leading, open to whatever the restoration God has in mind for our lives, even if it is not quite what we imagine or expect. (Isaiah 61:7)
“Instead of your shame you shall have double honour, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore, in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs.”
Today we live in a dark world. A world where people kill one another, and wars and terrorism abound – a world where people are enslaved by drugs, abuse, materialism, and self-centeredness. A world where people lie and deceive in other to get what they want. But God’s word tells us that a light will break through the darkness because God is a God who restores. The question to you today is: Does your soul need restoring today? What kind of darkness do you face? Is it a boring life, a dead-end job, a frightening illness? Are you facing the darkness of domestic violence, a failing marriage, a family falling apart? Are you facing the darkness of financial problems, of bills piling up? Are you facing the darkness of a self-centred life, or the turmoil of no inner peace? No matter what it is, you can rejoice for the light is coming. Morning is on the way. God has sent his Holy Spirit to invade and possess our soul and give peace and joy. God has promised a day when all oppression and evil will cease. And God has promised to be a God who restores… physical or spiritual, in this life or the next. God bless you.