“They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.” (Isaiah 61:4, ESV)
Impossible. Never going to happen. Too far gone. Nothing will change.
Too often, this is where we find ourselves. We feel as if our destiny is sealed. We feel we have drifted and wandered too far and that there is no coming back.
Maybe you are stuck in a generational sin or addiction that you feel that can’t be reversed. Maybe you have grown so far apart from your spouse that you feel your marriage cannot be reconciled. Maybe you have a child that has turned their back on Jesus and have gone down a trail that you feel there is no coming back. Maybe you have simply given up and lost hope.
But Isaiah says that ancient ruins will be restored. He says that the devastations of many generations shall be repaired. Our God is a God who accomplishes the impossible. He is a God who goes beyond anything we can imagine. There is nothing so broken that God cannot fix. He is a God who brings hope to the hopeless.
This is why Jesus came into the world. He came to fix and to restore our broken relationship with God. He came for more than to be a cute baby in a manger. He came to give his life on the cross to conquer sin and death. He came to go to great lengths to bring back the worst of sinners into God’s family.
People waited thousands of years before Jesus entered the world. It would have been easy to think that God was never going to show up. But everything is in God’s good time. It was in the fullness of time that God sent his son into the world (see Galatians 4:4). And it will be in the fullness of time that Jesus will return. God’s not given up on you. Rejoice in God’s promises. Rejoice in his restoration and redemption. Jesus is on his way.
Reflection
- Where have you given up on God’s ability to restore and heal?
- How does it bring you joy that Jesus is coming again?
Prayers
Lord, you are my hope and my joy. I rejoice that you are light in the darkest of times. I rejoice that there is hope in the most desperate situations. There is hope because you are God. There is hope because you are my Savior. I know that you never give up on me. I look forward to Jesus’ coming. Amen.
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