God Restores

By Dynamic Praise

With his healing hands, I’m made whole

You know that feeling you get when you’re working on the computer but then the computer crashes and you freak out because you’re afraid that all is lost? It’s a very stressful moment!

One of my favorite Google features is the “restore” option. When I’m online and my computer crashes or the battery dies on me, I’m afraid that I’ll lose all my work and all those precious tabs I have open. But then, when the computer turns back on and I open Chrome, Google tells me that the internet browser did not close properly.

There’s a little blue button under that notification with the word “restore.” When I click that button, all the tabs and my saved work pop up and Google magically returns me to where I left off before my computer crashed. (And yes, the tabs are important by the way. I do intend on looking at them eventually…)
This week, my computer randomly restarted on its own, and without fail I received the “restore” notification on Google Chrome. For a moment, I was transfixed on that word and a gospel song came to mind called “God Restores.” It was one of my favorite songs to sing with my gospel choir. The lyrics are simple, only a few short phrases. Yet the simplicity of the song makes these powerful words and timeless truths easier to remember, and I replay them over and over in my head:

God restores, God restores
He restores my mind, he restores my soul
With his healing hands, I’m made whole
He makes my life complete, my reunion is so sweet
I’m a living testimony

Last month, I shared a Selah Saturday post that my friend Emily had written. Emily is no stranger to what it means to be restored by God. She has been touched numerous times by his healing hands. Eight years ago, Emily underwent a double-lung transplant as she was being attacked by cystic fibrosis. Since then, she has battled skin cancer and thyroid cancer. Now she needs a kidney transplant. Emily has persevered through all this and continues to walk side-by-side with God, holding on tight to his healing hands.

I am saddened to share that a few days ago, Emily suffered a stroke. She had to have surgery to relieve pressure on her brain that was caused by bleeding. The surgery went well, but we are still waiting to find out the extent of the stroke’s damage, and we are praying that she does not have another stroke.
At this very moment, Emily is being cared for and treated by a team of healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses, and nursing assistants. Some may say that her life is in their hands. But really, it’s in God’s. God, in all his sovereignty was not surprised that Emily had a stroke, and he will not be surprised by the outcome, for he has been to the unknown and back. I take heart in knowing that everything that happens to Emily happens because God has ordained it to.

I have no doubt that God will restore Emily to full health. One day, she will be given a new body, one that will not fail her. Never again will she have to face difficulty breathing, speaking, walking, or eating. Surgery and medications will no longer be necessary, and in that new body she will experience a beauty and a peace that is beyond our imagination.

For the time being, Emily’s body has battle scars. Each scar brings glory to God. They serve as a reminder of his love and faithfulness throughout her life. Emily is a living testimony that God restores.

Our hope for this complete restoration is only found through Jesus Christ. Jesus willingly gave his life for us so that we may have peace with God and live eternally in his presence. Because of that sacrifice, we are healed from sin and our hearts are restored to the purest form. If you want to know more about what this means and how you can be restored, please reach out to me or a fellow Christian. We would love to share with you how we, too, our living testimonies that God restores.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 5:10-11

Click here to listen to “God Restores.” Listen all the way through and be blessed.