Restored
Psalm 71:20-21 (NLT)
20 You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,
but you will restore me to life again
and lift me up from the depths oft he earth.
21 You will restore me to even greater honor
and comfort me once again.
Reflection
After my late wife passed away, one of the most unsettling parts of the grieving/healing journey was when people would quote scripture to me about how loving our God is and how He would restore me. If you did this, I tuned you out. What did you truly know about my pain? I know they meant well, but at the time, it was challenging to digest because I wasn’t sure if I truly believed what the Bible was conveying. Pain has a way of distorting our thoughts.
Today, however, I can confidently affirm, from firsthand experience, that what today’s passage expresses about God restoring you from any pain you endure is undeniably true!
If you're currently grappling with pain you never thought you'd face, hearing that God will restore you again can be profoundly challenging. Why would a God who loves you deeply allow you to undergo such agony in the first place? Unfortunately, I don’t possess the answer to that question, but what I do know is that the pain you're experiencing fades in comparison to the restoration God will provide. Trust me.
After my wife passed away in 2015, I was left a mere shell of a man. A few years before her passing, my first wife relocated our daughter to Arizona after a lengthy and acrimonious custody battle. That was the closest I had come to losing a child, and I never imagined experiencing pain of such magnitude again. But as I sat in the hospital room deciding to remove Jessica from life support, I realized how wrong I had been.
As stated in today's passage, God "allows" us to suffer. He doesn’t inflict suffering upon us. He permits pain to sculpt us into better versions of ourselves with the intention of restoration. And He won’t merely restore us, but will elevate us to even greater honor as it says in verse 21.
God first restored my family when my daughter moved to Ohio to live with me. Next, I met my incredible wife, Lindsey. I never envisioned finding someone to love me as deeply as she does, and reciprocating that love equally. Life with her is a dream come true. Lindsey also provided my son, Samuel, with a mother who loves and cares for him as he deserves. Then came a new home, one I never believed I could afford, followed by my dream job of serving at my church. And finally, a new baby daughter, Charlie.
God didn't merely restore my life; He expanded it exponentially. And He desires to do the same for you.
Action Steps
1. If you are suffering pain right now, take it to God and ask Him to give you the strength and patience to endure the season that you are in. Write today’s scripture on a paper and put it where you can see it every day when you first wake up. Know that God is there and will restore you!
2. If you are in a good season of life, take a moment to stop and thank God for all that He has blessed you with!
Prayer
God, this painful season I am in is difficult to endure. It’s hard to understand the purpose behind my suffering, so give me supernatural peace in my heart to trust You and give me hope that You will restore me to a greater place than I was before. I trust that You are working in my life. Thank You for the blessings You will rain down on me in the future! Amen.
20 You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,
but you will restore me to life again
and lift me up from the depths oft he earth.
21 You will restore me to even greater honor
and comfort me once again.
Reflection
After my late wife passed away, one of the most unsettling parts of the grieving/healing journey was when people would quote scripture to me about how loving our God is and how He would restore me. If you did this, I tuned you out. What did you truly know about my pain? I know they meant well, but at the time, it was challenging to digest because I wasn’t sure if I truly believed what the Bible was conveying. Pain has a way of distorting our thoughts.
Today, however, I can confidently affirm, from firsthand experience, that what today’s passage expresses about God restoring you from any pain you endure is undeniably true!
If you're currently grappling with pain you never thought you'd face, hearing that God will restore you again can be profoundly challenging. Why would a God who loves you deeply allow you to undergo such agony in the first place? Unfortunately, I don’t possess the answer to that question, but what I do know is that the pain you're experiencing fades in comparison to the restoration God will provide. Trust me.
After my wife passed away in 2015, I was left a mere shell of a man. A few years before her passing, my first wife relocated our daughter to Arizona after a lengthy and acrimonious custody battle. That was the closest I had come to losing a child, and I never imagined experiencing pain of such magnitude again. But as I sat in the hospital room deciding to remove Jessica from life support, I realized how wrong I had been.
As stated in today's passage, God "allows" us to suffer. He doesn’t inflict suffering upon us. He permits pain to sculpt us into better versions of ourselves with the intention of restoration. And He won’t merely restore us, but will elevate us to even greater honor as it says in verse 21.
God first restored my family when my daughter moved to Ohio to live with me. Next, I met my incredible wife, Lindsey. I never envisioned finding someone to love me as deeply as she does, and reciprocating that love equally. Life with her is a dream come true. Lindsey also provided my son, Samuel, with a mother who loves and cares for him as he deserves. Then came a new home, one I never believed I could afford, followed by my dream job of serving at my church. And finally, a new baby daughter, Charlie.
God didn't merely restore my life; He expanded it exponentially. And He desires to do the same for you.
Action Steps
1. If you are suffering pain right now, take it to God and ask Him to give you the strength and patience to endure the season that you are in. Write today’s scripture on a paper and put it where you can see it every day when you first wake up. Know that God is there and will restore you!
2. If you are in a good season of life, take a moment to stop and thank God for all that He has blessed you with!
Prayer
God, this painful season I am in is difficult to endure. It’s hard to understand the purpose behind my suffering, so give me supernatural peace in my heart to trust You and give me hope that You will restore me to a greater place than I was before. I trust that You are working in my life. Thank You for the blessings You will rain down on me in the future! Amen.
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3 Comments
How long did it take before you no longer felt like an empty shell? Our son passed 9/26/20. I still feel like an empty shell, watching life continue without me.
Hi Tammy. First off, I want to say how sorry I am for your loss. I know I lost my wife and it was extremely tragic and hard, but I cannot fathom the loss of a child. To me there is not great loss than that. For me, the pain was there for a long time. There was a ton of regret and second guessing decisions that were made that I wish I had over to do again. It took a lot of counseling and time to be able to move past it. The main reason was because I was able to find love again. But that doesn't happen with the loss of a child, so I can't speak specifically to that. I am sure that pain is going to be carried for a long time if not a lifetime. I hated it when people gave me advice that hadn't experienced what I experienced. So I won't do that here. I do know that our church wants to help any way we can. Katie will be reaching out to you but if you could, can you email us at info@thetree.church so we can start the process of helping you any way we can? Katie lost a child so she can answer your questions better than I. She is amazing and someone who I highly look up to. I will be praying for you and your family!
Tammy,
Sorry for your loss.
I do not know what you are going thru from a son passing a way but I do know from a brother.
My mom would tell you to go to a Christian group counseling session. That is what she did when my brother drown. She said you can not every replace the one you lost but it did help her go on living.
Hi Tammy. First off, I want to say how sorry I am for your loss. I know I lost my wife and it was extremely tragic and hard, but I cannot fathom the loss of a child. To me there is not great loss than that. For me, the pain was there for a long time. There was a ton of regret and second guessing decisions that were made that I wish I had over to do again. It took a lot of counseling and time to be able to move past it. The main reason was because I was able to find love again. But that doesn't happen with the loss of a child, so I can't speak specifically to that. I am sure that pain is going to be carried for a long time if not a lifetime. I hated it when people gave me advice that hadn't experienced what I experienced. So I won't do that here. I do know that our church wants to help any way we can. Katie will be reaching out to you but if you could, can you email us at info@thetree.church so we can start the process of helping you any way we can? Katie lost a child so she can answer your questions better than I. She is amazing and someone who I highly look up to. I will be praying for you and your family!