"Restore"

Sometimes that old cell signal,

Will drop and go away,

And you just have to wait awhile,

For what you have to say.

And then the signal gets restored,

Can you hear me now,

Whatever made it go away,

Is gone and we say wow.

Sometimes an angry cloud comes up,

The forecast said it would,

And for awhile the lights go out,

But not at all for good.

‘Cause the linemen out there workin’,

Get whatever wrong all fixed,

And then the power is restored,

With little harm betwixt.

Sometimes that way with cable,

Or maybe internet,

You’re offline, interrupted,

Just out of luck, you bet.

And then they get it working,

Restore the lost connection,

And you go back on Facebook,

Your social intersection.

But of everything we deal with,

The most important restoration,

Is when we finally come home to,

The God of all creation.

His grace always invites us,

And it restores us, too,

A wonder when it happens,

Miraculously true.

And I have seen the sinner,

Come home from a long way,

And watched as God came running,

To greet and make them stay.

So if you’re interrupted, 

Or the signal’s gotten weak,

Call out to the Savior,

And listen to Him speak.

He says a party’s waiting,

A robe and ring and eats,

Grace is what receives you,

Restores all, nothing beats,

Forgiveness and full cleansing,

Healing all that hurts,

Knowing you are welcome,

Though you have done the worst.

So come on home, my brother,

And don’t delay it, sis,

He’ll give you restoration,

That you don’t want to miss.

‘So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20, NLT)

There’s just something about the picture of a God who comes running to meet us. What a relief! The prodigal had his speech all prepared, in which he took full responsibility for his sinful rebellion and begged forgiveness. He only wanted a job, and never expected the reception and restoration he got. But that’s God’s love for you. Generous! Extravagant! Crazy! We don’t get what we deserve. Rather, we get grace, and not just a little bit but a huge, overflowing, more than enough amount. And that’s the restoring grace that will change our lives if we let it. We not only gladly receive it, but generously pass it along to others. It’s the best news ever, and it’s ours to share.

Lord, help us enjoy the celebration of grace and invite others to the party, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mary Ross Buchholz, maryrossbuchholz.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mary, and God bless you.