Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus will personally restore, establish, strengthen and support you after you have suffered a little. The dominion belongs to Him forever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:10-11 HCSB

I am a huge fan of old cars, particularly old muscle cars. I think the ’69 Camaro is a beautiful sight to behold. The ’65 Mustang is another classic that is a beauty. I love to go to car shows to see these beautifully restored classics. My brother-in-law is always working on some old car that needs to be restored. He is also an ordained pastor who does Christian counseling, hmm, I’m just now seeing the correlation here.

My Dad was a dairy farmer. We always had cows, horses, and dogs. We were never surprised when Dad would come home with some poor animal on a trailer that appeared to be on death’s door. He would drive through the gate into the field with us thinking that this poor thing wouldn’t live through the night. But then he would doctor it and feed it and care for it and before you knew it, it was a beautiful healthy animal.

Have you ever felt as though you needed a complete restoration?  Maybe you feel that way now.  Maybe you feel like you need a complete makeover from the inside out.  Your heavenly Father can do that for you.  Our scripture passage today tells us that after we suffer a little while, that God Himself will personally restore us!  Wow!  He won’t assign that task to one of his people, He will do it Himself.  How awesome is that? Now our scripture passage today makes you wonder why you must suffer for a little while.  Well, I think it is because a thirsty man appreciates a drink of water much more than a man who has never been thirsty. Let’s face it how often do you say, “I’m starving to death”.  In reality, you are probably not starving to death, you are just extremely hungry.  My friend’s very intelligent 13 year old daughter pointed this out to me a few weeks ago.  Now there are people on this planet who are literally starving to death and I bet they truly appreciate food of any kind.  Often times we have to hit rock bottom before we have any desire to climb up out of the pit we are in.  It often takes total disaster for us to give it ALL over to God.

Now some of you come from a situation where you feel as though you were broken at a young age and have never recovered.  Some of you, like me, had a good childhood, but messed things up later in life.  Now you may ask yourself why does God allow us to suffer?  Well, I believe quite simply it is so that we can truly appreciate restoration.

Take the story of Job for example.  He had it all and God allowed the devil to take it all away.  But after Job had suffered for a while, God restored Him completely giving him double what He had before (Job 42:10).  Isaiah 61:7 tells us that instead of shame we will receive a double portion and will have everlasting joy.  How awesome is that?

When my Dad looked at an animal on the brink of death and starvation, he didn’t see an animal that needed to be put down, but an animal that needed to be lifted up.  He saw what it could and should be with the proper nutrition, medication, and support. When my brother-in-law looks at an old car in pieces, he doesn’t see a hunk of junk, he sees the beautiful, finished product.  When God looks at us, he doesn’t see the broken down, useless mess that we have become, He sees something beautiful.  He sees something that needs restoration.

God will not force restoration on you, you must choose it.  We can choose to continue to drown in our mess and sorrow.  But why would you?  Wouldn’t you like to be restored? Wouldn’t you like to receive a double portion for your trouble?  Wouldn’t you like to be like new? 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that anyone who is in Christ is a new creature.  Allow God into your life so that He may restore you today.  Allow Him to give you a double portion for your trouble and heartache.  I did and I am so glad that I did.  I pray that you will do the same.

Have a great day!