RESTORED AGAIN ONCE MORE
PSALMS - DAY 1
My best friend has a new hobby of rescuing old pieces of furniture and giving them new life. On my most recent visit to her home, she showed me the “before” and “after” pictures of a discarded dresser she had discovered at a garage sale and refurbished as a gift for her daughter. The refreshed wardrobe with a fresh coat of paint and new drawer pulls was quite an impressive sight. Her creative eye took something that looked like it was headed to the garbage lot in ruins and restored it to beauty and purpose once again.
The Psalmist was experiencing great distress. You could say his life was in shambles. Feeling forsaken by man, he had heard the derogatory comments of his adversaries: “Your life is not salvageable. You are headed straight for the rubbish pile.”
Ah, how the enemy of our soul loves to whisper lies to keep us stuck in a cycle of discouragement! Friend, if you have been “down in the dumps” lately, I pray that this sweet Psalm will encourage your spirit. Although the exact author is not identified by name, it could likely be King David. David had experienced all the heights of glory, but also the depths of despair.
Note how the Psalmist turns his thoughts away from what the world says to take refuge in the Lord. He has relied on the Lord all of his life, and he chooses to continue to hope in His righteous Deliverer. His circumstances may fluctuate, but He knows his God remains faithful.
No dark or desperate situation can delay or deny the redemptive plan of your Sovereign God. He has promised to fully restore all that the enemy has stolen and sought to destroy, and you can trust that God will bring you up “again” from the depths and lift you up to place of honor “once again.” The Hebrew words used by the Psalmist here imply that God will “reestablish” and “return” what was lost again, and “turn back,” “change,” and “transform” once more.
The God of restoration will bring beauty out of our distress. He lifts us up again and again and again. His creative eye will take what this world says cannot be salvaged and repurpose us for His glory once more.