Experience - Day 19

19 “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. 21 For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.’ 23 Then Moses said, “Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people.”

When my wife and I bought our current home, it was a solid structure, but one that had not been well cared for in a long time.  What was funny is that in order to get the house, because the market was so competitive at the time, we had to write what they call a love letter to the owners so they would consider our offer more than others.  The love letter was supposed to include who we are as a family, why we love their home, and what our vision for the home was.

I say it was funny, because we talked a lot about how much we loved the home, but then when we moved in, we changed almost everything about it.  New flooring throughout, new paint inside and out, new doors, repaired fence, refinished deck, and the list goes on.  The structure of the house was good, but the external pieces needed to be refreshed and restored to the former glory.  Though this was incredibly hard work, the more we accomplished, the more exciting it became.  It was invigorating to see new life come from something that had seemed well past it’s prime.

I love how in verse 20 of this pericope, it says that when God wipes away your sin, restoration comes or specifically, “refreshment.”. The Greek word for refreshment is the word,m “anapsuxis” which can also mean, “to recover your breath.”

What a fitting metaphor with what happened in chapter 2 that we talked about last week.  The Holy Spirit has breathed life into Christ’s new body on earth, His church.  And that breath brings healing, restoration, and hope.  

The hope we have is not just in the restorative work being done in and through us now as we surrender more and more to Jesus; it is the hope in the final restoration that will come when Jesus returns again to this earth.  We long for that time, hope for that time, because if you’re anything like me, I’m tired of all the hurt and pain in this world.  I’m tired of turning on the news to find out how many more have died in the war in Ukraine, or Gaza, or from fentanyl overdose, or in gang wars along the border.  I’m tired of people hurting and people dying.

But God did raise up a Prophet for us, and His name is Jesus.  Through Jesus, we have forgiveness of sins.  Through Jesus, we have hope for what can happen with Him through His Spirit now, and what will happen with Him in the life to come.  

So when we look at the world falling apart around us, know that we have been called to help bring Jesus restorative power to this earth, now.  And, we have been called to help people know that this present world isn’t all there is; a day is coming when we will live forever, when our mortal bodies will be made immortal, and when there will finally be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.  In this we have hope.

JOURNAL

1. Have you ever tried to restore something old to look like new again?  If so, what was that process like? 
2. Do you believe that the life Jesus died to give us begins now, not just in heaven, and that restoration and transformation begins the moment we accept Jesus as Lord?
3. What’s one thing you can do today to remind you of the hope you have in the life Jesus offers now, and the life Jesus has promised to bring us soon?