Lasting R-n-R
Redemption and Restoration. The R-n-R’s. Have you ever spent an extra moment considering the beauty of the process of redemption? The concept itself is quite spectacular. Religiously, it’s definition is the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil. Another definition is the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for a payment, or clearing a debt.
If you’ve spent time in the church, there are a number of repeated words we run into that are worth the occasional revist. Redemption and restoration are heavy words that are key pieces to how the Lord works and interacts with us and the more we hear them the easier it can be for their weight to begin to wear off.
Redemption is one of the most beautiful realities of the human existence. It is the literal act of being saved by God. Ephesians 2 offers a great look into redemption. “We were dead in our trespasses and sins, but God rich in mercy made us alive in Christ.” 1 John 2:2 describes Jesus as the propitiation, or the substitute, for our sins. In order for redemption to become a reality, there was a price that needed to be paid for our sins. This is where Jesus became that price and willingly laid down His life to redeem us from the death we deserved because of our sin.
Bear with me here, I’m taking us on a 30,000-foot view of these concepts, but we are going somewhere. God loves you so much that He didn’t find His work to be finished simply at the redemption of your soul, but it’s after that redeeming that He begins His work of restoring. This is when grace, a free gift that we don’t deserve, starts to become overwhelming. God made you with purpose and intention. Psalm 139 has a long list of how God has made you the exact way He intended to.
The saving from sin is just the beginning. Think of it this way – a prisoner of war who for years has been jailed, beaten, scorned, defiled, finally gets exonerated and freed. The freeing is just the beginning for this individual. Healing is now the next step. Even though he is no longer in the cell, there is still a great deal of restoration necessary for him to move through the pain and darkness he’s experienced. It’s similar to our walks with the Lord.
God saving us is just the beginning of our journey with Him. The saving from sin does not bring about full healing from the consequences of sin. The process of restoration is one that ushers us into the life-long, healing journey of sanctification, becoming like Jesus.
I’ve been going through John Eldridge’s One Minute Pause app on my phone. It’s a 30-day morning and evening prayer journey that he and others walk you through. This morning he was reading about the restoring power of God in Isaiah 41. Isaiah quotes the Lord saying, “I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs in the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into springs… so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this…” (Isaiah 41:18-20).
As believers in Jesus, we serve a God who does this for our hearts. This is not a list of used-to-be’s or for-someone-elses’s, this is the process of redemption that God performs on your behalf. In your heart, friend. He desires to make you new. Here’s the rub – He won’t force Himself on you. This is something you need to ask for.
So, I encourage you today – ask for it. Go to the Lord in prayer, wherever you find yourself today spiritually. Whether you’ve known the Lord your whole life, or today’s the first time you’ve heard this truth. God is willing and ready to meet you and to begin redeeming and restoring you. Hold on to this from Jeremiah 29:13, “If you look for me (God) wholeheartedly, you will find me.” If you’re ready, look for Him today through a short simple prayer like, “here I am Lord, I’m ready.” It’s as simple as that, as you seek Him, God will begin and continue the R-n-R’s of Redemption and Restoration until the work is finished. Yes – this is for you too.
