Day 24

Restoration

READ

Psalm 126: 1-6 (The Passion Translation)

REFLECT

Our God is in the business of making things new. Regardless of what our stories have looked like, where we’ve come from, what has been done to us or even what we’ve done to ourselves, God wants to reach into the dark places and make us new.

As humans we can’t help but compare ourselves to others, from our outside appearances, to our current financial situations, to the personas we try to portray on social media and even to our stories. We sometimes hear the testimony or story of someone else’s journey and because their story s “worse” than ours, we assume that ours doesn’t matter anymore. We ask questions like, “Their stories are so much more painful than ours, why can’t I just move on from my stuff?” Or, “I’ve been a Christian so long, why does this still hurt?” Friends, comparison ruins everything it touches. Even if your pain is different than someone else’s, it’s still real — and it still matters.

When we trivialize our stories and wounds, the enemy of our soul can use that stuffing of sadness to distract us and create distance between us and The Lord.

Your pain is real. God sees it, and He wants to make you new as well. The thing that holds you captive, the sadness or sin that keeps you up at night, the you that you would die to keep secret— that is the you that Jesus went to the cross for. He looks at that thing, the sin or weakness or wound or failure and instead of turning away in disgust like we would assume He would, Jesus reaches into his reservoir of grace and forgiveness and mercy, and without any iota of judgment Jesus says, “I can clean that out if you’ll let me.” And as we extend our darkest parts to Him, he heaps palmfuls of healing until all that is left is His presence and kindness.

These are modern miracles. This is what The Lord has done and what He wants to continue to do in our lives, no matter what. Will you let Him do that in your life today?

RESPOND

Brave Global is a campaign that invites God’s people to reach out to the most vulnerable girls with a message of empowerment in every community across the world. God has a plan to redeem everything and everyone. Every at-risk girl has a future and a hope that is bright with possibilities. We are going to be brave enough to tell them that and then to journey with them to fight for their freedom and their future.” For more information on BRAVE GLOBAL: braveglobal.org.

RECEIVE

Lord, today we pray your protection on all those in the foster care system who are at risk of being trafficked. Please protect them from those who would prey on their vulnerabilities. Guide us to take action and reach out in our communities to make a difference in their lives.