“They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore
the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.”
Isaiah 61:4
Dear Father,
On this Valentine’s Day I am struck by the timeliness of this scripture. In this present day I know may lives that have been devastated and ruined by the hater of our souls who will do anything to keep us from believing your love. Our enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy and he is a pro, after all he has been at it for a long time. But you dear Jesus, come to give us life – abundant life. In you the ruins are rebuilt, the devastated places are restored, and our lives are renewed. You take young girls who have been ruined and give them back their purity. You take wrecked young guys and restore them to viable useful lives. You take families and break them from generational cycles of abuse and habits. By your power you can build strong marriages from a rubble pile. When I see someone standing strong in your name, I wonder what kind of work has gone on behind the scenes to get them to that place. I know it takes work. It takes Jesus and an obedient heart willing to have the debris scraped away so that the building of a new life can go up. It takes sweat, tears, and time. It takes trusting you. But wow! There is something so powerful about a recreated life! A couple who’s marriage has come back from the brink of destruction, a young lady bringing up her children in the Lord in spite of a scarlet past, a man unashamed to proclaim the gospel he once cursed for so many years; all these and many more help make up the family portrait of the people of God. You are indeed all about giving us the abundant life. Not an abundance of stuff – but an abundance of your very own heart. A big red heart that bled for all the ruined lives, a heart that restores the devastated, a heart that renews day by day, brick by brick, as our lives are rebuilt to the glory of God.
Love always,
Penny
