Last year the Lord spoke to me about reversing the curse and about receiving double. In Isaiah 61, which describes the “Acceptable year of the Lord’s favor”, verse 7 says,
Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;
instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot;
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
they shall have everlasting joy.
I look back in the Old Testament and I see how Israel repeatedly messed up and ofttimes didn’t believe that the Lord’s goodness could overcome their past mess. I also think about, in the New Testament, how Peter, after He had denied the Lord just as Jesus had predicted, had difficulty receiving the restoration the Lord himself offered even face-to-face. (John 21:15-22)
I also personally struggle with that – I sometimes worry: is His promise of full restoration really for me; will I fall short of what is needed to enter into all of these blessings?
Definition of restore. transitive verb. 1 : give back, return. 2 : to put or bring back into existence or use. 3 : to bring back to or put back into a former or original state : renew.
However, when I look again in Isaiah, I see how fervently the Lord already purposed to give this depth of restoration that we need, even a new identity and a greater assignment.
Isaiah 61, v. 2b-4,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
The Lord knows our weaknesses, our shortcomings. The Scriptures tells us that He knows that we are like sheep who easily can go astray. But a good shepherd always goes after the sheep. Luke 15, 4-7,
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
He uses His staff to bring us back and His rod to ward off our foes. He makes a place of rest for us in a place of great provision, and He stays with us even in the valleys. Psalm 23 captures it so beautifully,
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Wow, that is beyond just okay, that is beyond just enough. That is an overcoming, overwhelming, overflowing level of His goodness and mercy that will impact my past, my present and my future even into the eternal age to come!
I was prompted by the Lord to look more closely at sheep—so I searched online — here are some things that I found out and some reflections:
- Sheep are a prized possession
- They live in flocks
- They can recognize each other (and even up to 50 faces—think about what that says about why the Lord had the people sit in groups of 50 on the Mount of Beatitudes—He creates community around us)
- They can know the shepherd
- They can distinguish his voice
- But they need to be provided for – a shepherd typically lives with the sheep – he leads them to food, leads them to water
- Shepherds have to use the rod and staff for correction, direction, and protection
- Sheep can produce wool forever so they have to be sheared; if not, they can’t even get up on their own—so our shepherd has to untangle us, free us regularly
- I thought about David and how Jesus is a shepherd like David, who knows how to worship, how to pray, how to fight for his inheritance, how to slay the bear, the lion and the giants.
- I thought about how we do not surprise Him with our waywardness
- I thought about how our Good Shepherd so identified with us, how all of the Godhead so loved us, that the Good Shepherd became a lamb, the Passover Lamb of God, the Ram in the bush for all of the children of Abraham, the lamb without spot or blemish that gave His life for ours so that we could be totally restored—past, present, future, even for all eternity.
Matthew 9:36, When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Isaiah 53:6, All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
John 10:11, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
My prayer is that we change our perspective about who we are, and that we would hear clearly the Shepherd’s voice, and allow His staff to guide us to restoration BEYOND. When Holy Spirit came, Peter stepped into that restoration and became an oak of righteousness for all in Israel who would believe his testimony. Peter had been restored and empowered to go BEYOND himself to fulfill the greater assignment to shepherd, to feed the Lord’s sheep.
We are all called to shepherd our families, our communities, our cities– to restore them, to provide rest, lead them to the water and food in the Word and in Holy Spirit, to show forth the Lord’s goodness and lovingkindness, and to show them how to worship, how to pray, how to fight for their inheritance, how to slay the bear, the lion and the giants.
John 12:23-26, Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.