Tag Archives: god restores

May 6, 2025 · 5:33 AM

Bitter To Better

In the book of Ruth, Naomi thought her story was over. She was forced to leave her home due to a famine. While living in a foreign land, her husband died. Some time later both of her sons died leaving her without a way to provide for herself. She tried sending both her daughters in law back to their parents so she could return home, but Ruth famously stuck with her. When they arrived in Bethlehem, people recognized her and couldn’t believe it was Naomi. She replied, “She said to them, ‘Do not call me Naomi (sweetness); call me Mara (bitter), for the Almighty has caused me great grief and bitterness’” (AMP). Even though she felt like her life had turned bitter, people still called her Naomi.

What seemed like the end of her story, was really a new beginning. God was quietly putting the pieces of her new life together. He led Ruth to the field that belonged to Boaz to glean and find food. Her willingness to stick with Naomi impressed Boaz and he protected her. Not only that, he was able to redeem Naomi’s family name, heritage and legacy by marrying Ruth. When they were married and had a son named Obed (worshipper), the town people said, “Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a redeemer (grandson, as heir) today, and may his name become famous in Israel.” Naomi’s life is a testimony that when it seems you’ve lost everything, God can create a new beginning.

Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds [healing their pain and comforting their sorrow].” God doesn’t leave us in our pain or loss. He heals our broken heart and bandages our wounds so we can heal. Just like He was working behind the scenes for Naomi, He’s working for you. When we’re blinded by our pain, He sees a future we can’t in that moment. Your story isn’t over when one chapter ends. God uses pain and devastation to birth new life and create fertile ground for new growth. God can take us from bitter to better as we allow Him to heal our brokenness and comfort us in our sorrow.

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

A Season Of Restoration

Over a decade ago fires ravaged through Texas after a long summer drought. I know people who lost their houses, their cars and heirlooms. They were left with the charred remains of their property and their lives. It was devastating for so many. However, I remember driving through some of the burned areas the following spring. Trees that had been burned up had fresh shoots growing out of them. Flowers began to peek through the ashes on the ground. It was a beautiful sight to see as this new life began to spring up through all the devastation. I’ll never forget how the green was juxtaposed against the black everywhere. I immediately thought of the Scripture in Isaiah 61:3 that says God gives beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

If you don’t know, Job is the oldest book in the Bible. It’s the story of a man who lost everything in a day. His kids were killed in an accident, his livelihood was stolen by raiders and his food was destroyed in a storm. Just about everything unimaginable happened in an instant. The rest of the book is conversations between he and his friends looking for answers, looking to blame someone and questioning God. Then God shows up reminding them that we won’t always have the answers here because we don’t understand God’s ways. Then God restores what was taken from him because of his faithfulness in the time of devastation. It’s incredible that the first book written in the Bible is about pain and loss while revealing God’s restorative nature.

Job 14:7-9 says, “There is hope for a tree that has been cut down; it can come back to life and sprout. Even though its roots grow old, and its stump dies in the ground, with water it will sprout like a young plant” (GNT). You may feel like Job today as you go through an unimaginable situation, pain or loss. You may look around your life and only see the burnt remains of what was everything you held dear. I’m here today to remind you of the restorative nature of God. What looks like an end is really a beginning. What looks like devastation is actually fertile soil for new life and growth. There is hope. God can create life in areas that have lain dormant and dead for years. He will give you beauty for your ashes, joy for your mourning and a garment of praise for your spirit of heaviness. You’re entering a season of restoration.

Photo by Tugce Gungormezler on Unsplash

Restoring What’s Broken

Because of sin, every one of us are born into this world with brokenness. It takes a different form in each of us, and the longer we live, the more brokenness we can experience. Different interactions and circumstances can cause that brokenness to spread and effect more parts of our lives. It began in the Garden of Eden, but so did the cure. God promised to restore our relationship with Him by sending us His only Son. Even though that’s primarily what we think of Him restoring, He’s capable of restoring so much more than our broken relationship with Him. He wants to restore every part of your life.

Here are some Bible verses on the things God can restore.

1. I have suffered much, O Lord; restore my life again as you promised.

Psalms 119:107 NLT

2. But you, O Lord, are always my shield from danger; you give me victory and restore my courage.

Psalm 3:3 GNT

3. Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert.

Psalms 126:4 NLT

4. Restore joy to your loving servant once again, for all I am is yours, O God.

Psalms 86:4 TPT

5. This prayer made in faith will heal the sick; the Lord will restore them to health, and the sins they have committed will be forgiven.

James 5:15 GNT

This is a small sampling of things listed in the Bible that He restores. Ask Him to restore your broken places today.

Photo by Geetanjal Khanna on Unsplash

A Restored Life

Jonah is a story we are all familiar with, and it’s a story we can all relate to in some fashion. I believe every one of us are created with a purpose only we are uniquely qualified to accomplish. Jonah was called to a city he hated and a people he couldn’t stand. He knew that God is merciful and good, so he knew that God would forgive the people of Nineveh if they repented. So he did what so many of us do, he ran from his calling. Of course you know that didn’t work out so well. A storm threatened the life of everyone on the ship he was on. That’s when I believe he thought if he died, so would the people of Nineveh.

You know that he had the crew throw him overboard and the Bible says that God prepared a large fish that came and swallowed him whole. As he sat in the darkness, he remembered that God is good and would even forgive him for this disobedience. In Jonah 2:2 he said, “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me” (NLT). Jonah repented of his actions and God heard him. He asked God for help even though he was in the middle of paying the price for his disobedience and God answered his prayer.

There are times that all of us disobey God. Like Jonah, we need to get past our pride and call out to God for mercy. It doesn’t matter what kind of trouble we’re in or how far away from God we feel, a simple cry for help is heard in Heaven. God is waiting to respond to each of us to restore us to the life He’s called us to. It takes us reaching the point where we cry out to Him though. The good news is that we don’t have to wait until we hit rock bottom or are so far away we’re sitting in darkness. God will hear your cry wherever you are and answer you. He is full of mercy, compassion and forgiveness, and He is waiting to restore your life.

Photo by nikko macaspac on Unsplash

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