Restoration

“Let it Rain!”

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     As for you also, because of the blood of My covenant with you, I have set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope; this very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you . . . And I will make you like a warrior’s sword. Then the Lord will appear over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning. Zechariah 9: 11, 12 NASB


Tyre was a city Island. She’d built a fortress around herself and thought she was invincible. Separated from the mainland, she’d learned to be self-sufficient, defensive, wealthy, and wise. She’d built walls over 150 feet high in some places. God had blessed her with good, but her gold piled up as dust and silver as mire in the streets. Riches to rubble—she was stuck and frittered her days away; and so, she was caught off guard. The enemy climbed over her dump. 
     Zechariah prophesied against the nations. God would contend with His malicious enemies. He camped around His people and was their tent peg. Tools and treasures hung from the center. He was a strong defense. Vigilant and ready. The plans and pride of the Philistines were cut off. They wouldn’t oppress His people again.
     Behold! Our King came humble, mounted on a donkey. Justice and salvation gifted by Him. He was crucified for sinners, prisoners of the waterless pit. Bondage. Despair and desperation. Hopelessness. He will return. The bow of war will be broken and peace will be had. 
     God calls us to return to the stronghold. Return and I will restore double to you. In Hebrew, the word used for return and restore is one and the same. Return: 

Come home. Transition. Recall. Recover. Refresh. Retrieve. Withdraw. Take back! Begin again, but not necessarily at the start. Call to mind, break, build, circumcise, retreat, dig, lodge, lie down, eat, feed, make, send, remember, rejoice, carry back, cease, consider, deliver, deny, drawback, fetch, gather, give, pull in, come again, rescue, reverse, set again, slide back, turn back. . . go home! 

There is much “returning and restoring” that takes place in our healing journey. God sees our struggles, and He believes in us. He isn’t put off by our rubble, the sin, failures, complacency, pride, hurt, anger, and weaknesses. Return and He will restore double to you. Mighty in His ways, He will make you like a warrior’s sword. Your mouth will be like a powerful tool for His glory. And He will defend you! 
     Don’t waste your story, or hoard your “silver and gold!” 
     God told His people to seek His favor and ask for rain. Blessings! He is with us and for us. We can hang our hope on His steadfast love. He whistles, gathers, and redeems. Beauty blooms. Transformation takes place. Our homes are rebuilt, and our families are supported and protected. And so, I’d written down a simple prayer as I finished this devotion, “Lord, let it rain!” 
     Later that morning, as I circled our pond with my grandsons, the oldest eye-balled the dark clouds that threatened and declared with innocence, “Mima, when it rains, it’s gonna snow!” More than once, when I’d asked him what he wanted to do this summer, he’d replied with mischief, “Go sledding or build a snowman.” His wonder and eager expectation were a timely gift. Blessings set upon blessings. Winter was on the horizon, but there is joy! 

So, let it rain!

Lily Mae

Puzzle Pieces

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Psalm 60: Lily of Testimony

O God, Thou hast rejected us. Thou hast broken us; Thou has been angry; O, restore us. Thou hast made the land quake, Thou has split it open; heal its breaches, for it totters. Psalm 60: 1-2 NASB

    David faced two military battles in the Valley of Salt and was confused by the outcome. He grieved Israel’s defeat and losses and cried for relief. He felt abandoned by God. However, it was in that basin that the Lord began to fulfill His promises to David, to make him a strong leader, give him rest from his enemies, and plant him in a place where he’d find peace.

The Lord protected David and made his name great. His name means “beloved!” The remedy for our brokenness comes through David’s family line. Jesus, our Beloved. 
    
Our nation has been shaken, the country is split, and angry flames set by some in response to injustice threaten to consume our cities, but Jesus is our Balm of Gilead. He is a City of Refuge.  Through Him alone our fractures can be restored and beauty birthed.  
     
Restore—a thousand puzzle pieces, colors and perspectives, and a thousand things to do. 
     
We must return to the table. Repent. Forgive. Listen. Engage to understand. Dig deep. Revisit. Reverse. Break. Build. Circumcise. Join. Carry. Retreat. Recover. Retrieve. Bring home. Feed. Refresh. Slide back. Speak. Affirm. Say “no!” Change our mind. Turn back. Reestablish. Relent. Reset our thoughts and plans. Wait. Resume. Return to the table. Collaborate. Then do it again. Healing is no easy task.
    
Restoration requires the framework of divine and human effort. Like David’s desperate plea, we must repent. We must seek God’s forgiveness and ask His help.  
     
We have also faced two battles as a nation, COVID19 and the injustice of George Floyd’s death have threatened us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. How we respond will impact our future. Jesus willingly laid down His life for us in the face of injustice. He was slandered, slapped, beaten, and scourged. Then crucified for us. Our cities belong to Him, the strong defenders and weaker servants, the helmets, washbowls, and scepters, and the marked and rural edges. God is concerned for our well-being. Boundaries must be set. Removed. Written and re-written. But who will bring Him to the besieged cities?
    
George Floyd’s death left us with a responsibility. Names were birthed with meaning and purpose in biblical times. George means farmer or worker, and Floyd means gray-haired. Pause. Ponder. It goes back to the beginning. Mankind was created in God’s image. Male and Female. Black and White. Colorful. Rich and poor. Beauty in our differences. All called with purpose.
   
Farming is strenuous work and requires long days. Whether Floyd was a farmer or not, we’ve learned that he was a servant. He loved God and the people of God. Healing begins with humility, the one who is ready and willing to work the soil. What will you plant? Seeds of hate and revenge, or seeds of mercy and loving kindness? Reconciliation calls for us to work together; we need to be open and vulnerable. It may get dirty and uncomfortable. Nevertheless, we must start with ourselves. Unless a seed die, it will not produce. When have we contributed to racism? How have we caused our brothers and sisters to hurt? Where can we do better? It starts with our thoughts and progresses to our speech and actions.

When the flooded river banks recede, will the valley between our rocky pandemics be loaded with salt? Or, has God’s people lost their flavor? We are the salt of the earth. Oh! That we would preserve life by Jesus’ example. 

Take a hold of your piece. Begin!

Lily Mae

Three Days

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So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 ESV

     Jesus was crucified and buried in a tomb three days. However, it couldn’t keep Him bound. Light pushed through the dark. Linen wrappings were left undisturbed. Hope is alive.

Easter remembrances had passed, but as I studied my passages for the day, I circled back. Three days.

Saul had once persecuted Christians, the believers and followers of Jesus. He’d breathed threats against them and hunted them down. But on a road to Damascus, God got his attention. Three days Saul was blind and couldn’t eat or drink. But he hears. The scales fall from his eyes. He sees. While on a road called “Straight,” Saul is saved, and he begins to preach the gospel. Radical transformation occurred. (Acts 9: 1-25)

The sons of Israel were desperate as they searched for water three days. (Exodus 15:22)

God directed Joshua and Israel to camp three days before they crossed the Jordon River. Wait. Rest. Move. Then God heaped back the waters and made a way to pass through—to go beyond the river. Their story didn’t end at the water’s edge. The promised Land was on the other side. God wanted them to go in and possess the land. (Joshua 3,4)

Rahab, a harlot, hung a scarlet cord in her window and sent God’s messengers into the hill country to hide. She clung to hope for three days. Rahab and her family were saved when the walls of Jericho crumbled; and, she became part of Jesus’ lineage. (Joshua 3, 4)

Three days in a tomb. Resurrection. Three days blinded. Hearing is fine-tuned. Sight restored. Straight road. Salvation understood. Three days thirsty. Revival. Three days a cord secured hope. Rescue and redemption. Messengers hid. Walls crumbled. Generations were saved. Three days.

What keeps you bound?

Who is your Hope?

Where is God calling you to step forward?

Three days. I was challenged to fast from the activities that disturb and distract me. I let go. Near the end of the third day, as I circled our pond, the ruckus of two angry ospreys chasing a bald eagle, caught my attention. The eagle had something in its mouth, but it dropped midway over the water. Then the eagle circled and swooped down over the deep to retrieve his dinner. Although, I’m not sure he was successful.

No matter. The powerful vision left me awestruck. I had turned. Rested. Listened. Waited.
Freedom’s flight. Three days had made a difference. God’s resurrection power is for us!

     Open your heart to what God wants you to see and hear. Obey His voice. Radical change is possible.

Be blessed,

Lily Mae

Side note:
The following day I woke in the wee hours of the night, and I couldn’t go back to sleep. Coffee won. The hazy, gray globe rose as I clicked away on my computer, and I recorded my thoughts of the previous day. Then I happened to glance outside at my sheltering willow. Another eagle sat ready to pounce on its prey. For another thirty minutes I was captivated.

 

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