The God who restores

You know something I struggle with?

When someone tells me that there is hope when there is none.

When someone tells me there’s light at the end of the tunnel, when I know that it’s another train charging down on me.

When they say things can only get better, when all I know is that another thing is about to go wrong.

Don’t give me false hope. 

Walk with me in my trouble. 

I’ll appreciate that.

Battle with me in the trenches. 

I love that! 

But don’t tell me the weather is fine when it’s not. 

I’ve heard so many sermons which are designed to manipulate and hype up the congregation… 

To give more money

To give more hours of service

To do what the leader says

And most often it’s done by misquoting Scriptures to the leader’s benefit. 

No wonder people walk away from the Church.

We can see these patterns of lies, deception and false hope in the false prophets in the Old Testament who spoke only what they believed the king wanted to hear. 

But I’ve got to be honest, it’s not a Church problem. 

It’s a people problem. 

Even King Nebuchadnezzar, the ancient king of the Babylonians had this same problem with his advisors. 

Daniel 2:9b – “You have conspired to tell me…”

The reason for this kind of start to the message is this:

Why would God put this Scripture on my heart? 

Why would God ask me to bring a message of hope when all was stripped away only a couple of years ago?

And I really hate the idea of being a false prophet. I will keep my mouth shut before bringing false hope.

Well… as I was asking God, “Are You sure?!?!?!”, I had (and have) a confidence that God is faithful.

If I know one thing, when you are mistreated, it doesn’t change who God is. 

When things go against you, God’s character hasn’t moved.

When your mind is in a spin, we can be confident in this:

God remains faithful. 

God remains truthful. 

God remains Himself. 

Our experiences in the Church are what they are. 

And in all likelihood, those things that broke us, also broke God’s heart.

But our understanding of God must not come from our hurts, pains and failures…

Rather, it comes from reading the Bible and listening to the voice of Holy Spirit.

 

Too often our society drives what we believe. 

Too often the music we listen to, the things we read on social media, the people we work with, our own experiences… 

These things motivate us and transform our thinking. 

But what our God wants from us is to be transformed by His power and by His Spirit. 

Romans 12 is absolutely glorious:

Chapter 12:1-2 says –

            1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God–this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

And this is why we at Barefoot Ministries Australia have a prayer room and we hope for it to be a 24/7 prayer room.

This is why we encourage daily Bible reading. 

Both go hand-in-hand 

The old saying applies:

All Word you dry up.

All Spirit you blow up.

But both Word and Spirit together, you grow up.

So here it is…

Here is what I believe God said to me….

God said, “Buy a field”.

God told Jeremiah to buy a field.

Jeremiah bought the field.

Not so bad.

Doesn’t sound too tough.

But its’s the context that makes it what it is.

The context is what makes it real… makes it challenging… perhaps makes it feel impossible or unreasonable.

Here is the Scripture God highlighted to me at the end of 2023.

Jeremiah chapter 32

The context is this:

Israel was being punished for following the gods of the nations they lived among.

Following things like sacrificing their children in fire, praying to other gods for fertility, food and rain. Prostituting themselves as an act of worship to these gods…

Things that Gods says He neither told them to do or even did they enter His mind.

The Israelites were currently surrounded by the Babylonians.

Jerusalem was besieged.

A picture of hopelessness if we ever saw one.

Jeremiah was also in gaol because he spoke God’s words and it wasn’t appreciated by the king.

And then this happened:

Jeremiah 32:6-7 [NIV]

   6 Jeremiah said, “The word of the LORD came to me: 7 Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.’

A call to an act of faith.

Then we follow on with verse 15:

Jeremiah 32:15 [NIV]

   For this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’

The Call to action was obeyed, and then a promise given.

And this is interesting.

Because it was only after Jeremiah was obedient that the promise came.

Too often we wait for the promise and then we act.

God is not a genie in the bottle.

And we are not privileged brats who only act upon the promise of some reward.

Jeremiah was obedient because he heard the word of the Lord.

That was enough for him.

Is it enough for us?

What was Jeremiah’s response to the promise?

Worship.

Worship was Jeremiah’s response to God’s promise.

You can read his words of worship here in Jeremiah 32:17-23.

Destruction followed as promised, but another promise was given.

Jeremiah 32:42-44 [NIV]

   42 “This is what the LORD says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them. 43 Once more fields will be bought in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’ 44 Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, because I will restore their fortunes, declares the LORD.”

Restoration was promised.

And, perhaps most interesting of all…

This all happened to Jeremiah during the most difficult time in his life.

This Scripture screams:

I AM THE GOD WHO RESTORES!

So what will our response be?

I’m hoping that we also will respond with worship.

How does this Scripture affect us?

Is it just another bunch of ink on a page or words on a screen?

Will we truly worship this God who restores?

Will we…

Worship Him in lifestyle?

Worship Him in speech?

Worship Him with our social media?

Worship Him in our family?

Will we worship the Living God in spite of our circumstances?

Will you worship the Living God in spite of your circumstances?

And what will you worship Him with?

What is your pleasing and acceptable act of worship towards our Lord and Saviour?

To finish, I want to both encourage and challenge you with this Scripture:

1 Timothy 6:11-12 [NIV]

11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Choose to live a life of obedience to Christ, and turn your back on the wickedness this world serves up to us daily.

Fight the good fight of faith today.

I whole-heartedly believe that God will strengthen you to do that which He has called you to do.

Perhaps you will literally buy some land, but perhaps your call from God will be different to Jeremiah’s call.

Whatever God says to you, know that you will need His help to achieve it.

But choose today to “fight the good fight” and “take hold of the eternal life to which you were called”.

God bless you mightily as you continue to serve our Lord and Saviour.

He is, The God who restores.

In Christ

Ben