God of Restoration

UV 1264/10,000 God of Restoration
Restore us, O Lord God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.

Psalm 80 v 19
If the sun turns its face away from the moon or it gets blocked by another body like the earth, it gets eclipsed. Similarly, when the Lord God Almighty turns His face away from us even for a short while or when sin blocks our access to Him, we are cut off from His light, His truth, His grace, His mercy and His love. Just as the moon praises the sun by reflecting its light, we praise God by reflecting His light. Left to itself the moon is ugly, dusty and full of barren craters but in the light of the sun, it is beautiful. Similarly, our lives get beautiful in the presence of the Lord God Almighty. When people appreciate us for any talent or ability or accomplishment, we should turn the praise back to God and not bask in the glory ourselves. We need to recognize that He is Lord, He is God and He is almighty, that He alone is the source of our light and life and love. He alone is the sustainer of our hope. He alone is the fountainhead of our power. He alone is the provider of all we need.

The moon is held in orbit by the gravitational force of the sun. The closer the moon moves towards the sun, the greater is the reflection of the sunlight. We need to move closer and closer to God Almighty. When we follow the paths Jesus has shown and taught us to take, we will be on orbit like the moon not off course like some wild asteroid crashing through space. The Psalmist David in this Psalm repeats his prayer thrice to restore him. The first prayer is to restore us to His love, to a deeper and more intimate relationship with Almighty God as He is not only our creator but He is also our Saviour. If the Lord so much as looks on us and smiles, our relationship with God will be affirmed forever. Our first love or the passion with which we first loved God would be restored.

Many of us had lost some things on the way. It could be our peace, our possessions, our family, our friends, our honour, our health. The second prayer is to restore to us the blessings that we once had but now have lost or are in danger of losing. The third prayer is to restore us to following the ways and paths of the Good Shepherd. It is a plea for guidance and wisdom. It is also a plea to restore the Holy Spirit to us and the joy of salvation. God is the God of second and umpteen chances, the God of restoration. When Job lost all he had in His life: his great wealth,his children, his servants, his friends, his status, his possessions, the Lord God Almighty restored him and gave him a double portion of all he had lost. If it is anger that caused Him to turn His face away from us, if it is our sinful ways , the moment we are contrite and repent, He will restore us in every sense.

Prateep V Philip