July 8, 2022
I have been seeing this verse a lot again recently and it reminded me that I am now in that promised restoring stage! God gave me this verse several years ago, while I was still in the midst of trying to save my marriage. It's another one of those promises that I thought would be fulfilled in one way, but God had even better plans for me. God always keeps his promises. It doesn't always look the way we expect though.
Remember, God sees the finished plan from the beginning, he knows the tapestry he is weaving of our lives. Every thread, every color, every cut and stitch, every hidden tuck. Since He has the master plan, the pattern, He knows what each row will look like. So, when he promises "this tapestry will be finished" or "I will restore the torn pieces" we know he will do so. Trusting Him to keep his promises often requires us to let go of or be flexible with the picture we have in our mind - knowing that his finished work will always outshine anything we could think up!
Restoration - another variation of the word God gave me for this year (reset) - it is a remaking of broken, torn pieces of me and my story. A putting back together of what was broken by others and damaged in the battles. See, the tapestry He is weaving is a battle flag that flies high over the battle grounds. Those flags are then hung in the Kings throne room after the victory - declaring not only victory of the soldiers who fought, but glory to the kingdom and King for which they fought.
We are fighting a spiritual battle, not against flesh and blood. As God weaves the stories of our lives, He is preparing us to be flown in victory over the battles to come. We go forth from the throne room (prayer) with the knowledge of all the flags of victory already displayed there, and that strengthens us to go in the power and authority (Holy Spirit indwelling us) of the King. To continue to grow and learn and win. He trains us continually to be victorious. We are his children as well as his soldiers - beloved and deemed worthy to continue his work.
Though my marriage didn't survive, I know I am still in the season of seeing what the locusts have eaten being restored. I have remained faithful, not perfectly, but consistently. I have been able to do that because He first loved me and has been perfectly faithful to me. Despite the betrayal of my ex-husband, I am whole, healing and know I am loved, because my Heavenly Father, Husband to the widows and abandoned, remains ever faithful!
You can have your identity restored as well - Know who your God truly is, what he says about you and how he adores you. Accept these things as true about you - and your identity is now on perfectly firm ground, never to be shaken again!