LORD OF RESTORATION

God is in the business of restoration. He is the master weaver who can mend the broken threads, replace the worn-out parts, and restore the faded colors. He can take the tapestry of your life, no matter how damaged or worn out it may be, and restore it to its original beauty. He can repay you for the years the locusts have eaten. So, as we journey together today, let's open our hearts and minds to the message of restoration that God has for us. Let's allow Him to mend our broken threads, to restore our faded colors, and to weave our tapestry into a beautiful masterpiece that tells a story of His love, His grace, and His restoration. God's Promise of Restoration Scripture Reference: Joel 2:25 (NIV) "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you." Dear brothers and sisters, we all have experienced seasons of loss, times when it felt like the locusts of life were eating away at our joy, our peace, our hope. But today, we stand on the promise of God from Joel 2:25, a promise of restoration. God is not just a God of second chances; He is a God of restoration. He doesn't just restore, He repays. He doesn't just bring us back to where we were before the locusts came; He brings us to a place of greater abundance. Now, let's look at the word "restore" in the original Hebrew language. The word used in Joel 2:25 is "shalam," which means to be safe, to be completed, to be at peace. It's where we get the word "Shalom," a word that signifies ultimate peace, harmony, and wholeness. When God restores, He brings us to a place of shalom, a place of complete wholeness and peace. As the great theologian Charles Spurgeon once said, "God does not give us overcoming life—He gives us life as we overcome. The strain is the strength. If there is no strain, there is no strength." God's restoration process often comes through the strain, through the overcoming, through the battle with the locusts. Now, let's consider two important aspects of God's restoration. Firstly, God's restoration is personal. He knows the specific areas in our lives that have been damaged by the locusts. He knows the dreams that have been deferred, the hopes that have been dashed, the relationships that have been broken. And He promises to restore each one. He doesn't offer a one-size-fits-all restoration; He offers a tailor-made restoration that fits our unique needs and circumstances. Secondly, God's restoration is comprehensive. He doesn't just restore parts of our lives; He restores every area of our lives. He promises to repay us for the years the locusts have eaten. Notice the plural—years, not just a year. God sees every year, every season, every moment that the locusts have devoured, and He promises to restore them all. So, dear brothers and sisters, as we stand on the promise of Joel 2:25, let's remember that our God is a God of restoration. He is ready to restore every area of our lives that the locusts have eaten. He is ready to bring us to a place of shalom, a place of complete wholeness and peace. And as we walk in His promise of restoration, let's remember the words of Charles Spurgeon, "The strain is the strength. If there is no strain, there is no strength." Let's embrace the strain, knowing that it's part of God's restoration process, and let's look forward to the strength, the shalom, that comes from it. Restoration: God's Promise in Joel 2:25 Scripture Reference: Joel 2:25 (NIV) "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you." God's promise of restoration is a beacon of hope in our lives. He assures us that He will restore what has been lost, what has been taken away. He will repay us for the years that have been eaten away by the locusts of life. This is not a mere comforting thought, but a divine guarantee. The first thing we need to understand about restoration is that it is a process. It's not an overnight miracle, but a journey. It's like a farmer who plants seeds in the ground. He doesn't see the harvest the next day. He has to wait, he has to nurture the seeds, he has to trust that the harvest will come. And so it is with restoration. We have to trust in God's timing, we have to nurture our faith, we have to wait for His perfect timing. The second thing we need to understand about restoration is that it is complete. God doesn't do things halfway. When He promises to restore, He restores fully. He doesn't just patch up the broken pieces, He makes all things new. He doesn't just fill in the gaps, He makes everything whole.