Have you ever appreciated the work of a restorer? The restoration process can be long and grueling, but the outcome is often incredible. One of the most intriguing things to me about restoration is how the restored piece of furniture, instrument, vehicle, or house can have more value than the original. There is somehow more beauty, or maybe things work better than they have before. The restorer see potential in the broken much like a sculptor sees a masterpiece in a block of marble.
Saturday Morning Prayer
I met with a few men for prayer this morning, and it still amazes me how God speaks when we seek Him. Our Saturday morning prayer times might not look the way you imagine when you think of men gathering together to pray. We have a specific theme to focus on as we seek God, but before we pray together, we spread out and pray separately. In those moments of seeking Him, God speaks.
I opened our time this morning with some simple worship. Through song, we asked God to open our hearts, we invited the presence of the Holy Spirit, and we proclaimed the goodness of God. We then spread out and prayed with the theme of healing. It can be easy to pray for hours in that setting, but we gather back together after 15-20 minutes to share what God might have been speaking to us. This is one of my favorite parts because of how God confirms what He has been saying to us through each other.
Everything that we shared with each other tied together, but the most significant thing to me was the pair of words that two us both received as we were praying. Renewal. Restoration. There are marriages that are struggling that need restoration. The love that they once had on their wedding day is not gone, but it needs renewal and revival. There are people struggling with depression and oppression. Their understanding of God’s love needs renewal. They need a restoration of strength and perseverance. Physical, sometimes chronic pain is present in the bodies of many people, and they need restoration down to the cellular level.
Greater Glory
Healing is more than getting over a cold or broken bones mending inside a cast. It goes beyond couple’s counseling and financial freedom. Healing does not just cover the symptoms of depression or make us feel better for a moment. This idea of restoration led me to the book of Haggai.
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
Haggai 2:6-9
This passage speaks of the temple and the coming Savior, but it also speaks of us. The temple was where The Spirit of God dwelled in the Old Testament. The New Covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ tore the veil that separated us from God, and He has sent The Holy Spirit to dwell in those who love and obey Jesus Christ. We are restored by the blood of Jesus. Isaiah 53:5 says that by His wounds we are healed.
Praying For You
In the Name of Jesus, and by the power His blood, marriages be restored. Hearts and minds be healed. The spirit of oppression has no place among the people of God. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him, and in His Name be healed of all sickness, disease, infirmity, and pain. The spirit of depression has been defeated at the cross once and for all. There is no attack of the enemy that can gain any ground because by the power of Christ in us, we have been made more than conquerors. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Let me leave you with one final thought from our prayer time today. Satan wants to tear you down. He wants to destroy your joy and pull you away from God. But Jesus intercedes for you. He has, and does pray for you (Luke 22:31-32). And we have prayed for you too. Whether you worship with us at Crossroads Church, don’t even believe in God, or anything between, we pray for you. Be filled with The Spirit and take steps in the direction of that He leads.