Psalm 80 is a cry to the Lord for His restoration. In the time of tribulation and distress, God's chosen people – Israel, who had turned away from Him, cry out to the Lord God Almighty for restoration and revival.

Let us consider three parables Jesus taught in Luke 15, relating to the theme of the restoration of the lost. The first parable from Luke 15:3-7 is about the lost sheep which depicts a sinner who does not understand his sinfulness and walks away from God's ways. The second parable (Luke 15:8-10) is about the lost coin which explains how a person walks in sin due to negligence and carelessness. The third parable (Luke 15:11-32) is about the prodigal son who left his father's house and chose wrong deeds.

In all three parables, Jesus said that when the sheep was found, when the lost coin was found and when the son returned to his father, there was great joy in heaven over the sinner who repented. Our God is good and kind, but He hates sin. In His goodness and mercy, He makes it possible for a sinner to repent. If we turn from our rebellious ways and seek Him, He will forgive us and give us a new life. Jesus assures us, 'I have come to give you life. It is the best life, a perfect life.' [John 10:10 Paraphrased]

In today's reading from Psalm 80, the plea for restoration has been repeated three times (Vs. 3, Vs. 7 & Vs. 19), showing how earnestly they looked to the Lord for restoration. When you seek the Lord, if your cry is from the heart, the light of Jesus will shine upon you, because Jesus is the true light that gives light to everyone:  In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind [John 1:4].

The Restoration of God

How can we receive the Lord's restoration? For the restoration of a sinner, God first deals with the sins of the sinner. When we repent and confess our sins, the Lord promises, "I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee."  (Isaiah 44:22)
We receive this forgiveness, through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ who bore the sins of the world- for you and me! For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh (Romans 8:3). The unblemished and spotless Lamb of God, who was absolute without any sin, came to pay the price for our sin [1 John 3:5]. He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].  (2Corinthians 5: 21 (Amp).

Today, dear child, if you allow this light to shine upon you through Jesus Christ, you can receive eternal restoration from GOD.

 

Quote for the Day:

"God is a God of restoration. When we place the

broken pieces of our lives in His hands, He restores them

to a beauty that far outshines the former!"

- Anon