A Restoring Word

"A little while, and you will no longer see Me." Jesus repeated these words to His disciples several times. Yet as soon as they had settled into the upper room, Jesus raised the subject of His forthcoming death. Immediately, the mood of His followers went from one of celebration to shock and sorrow. Often in difficult times, we cannot see beyond that moment. The resurrection was a few days away, but they could not fathom its wondrous coming. God always provides the encouragement we need to stay the course, and Jesus did this for His disciples when He told them, "Your sorrow will be turned to joy.” This message definitely restored the hope of his disciples.


Yet as they watched Jesus endure the cross, their fears arose again. Imagine what it must have been like to know that the man you followed for three years, who claimed to be the Son of God, was dead. He had said that no one could take His life from Him—He could lay it down and pick it up again—and that He could call upon a legion of angels. Where were all those angels? What happened to the kingdom He promised? For Jesus' followers, the days after the Crucifixion must have been full of disappointment and anxiety.


But then a Word of hope broke through the disciples' desolation: "He’s alive!" This is another message that restored the hope within the disciples. God brought them from the pit of despair to the pinnacle of jubilation. The most awesome message the world has ever heard is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is a living Lord.


Christianity is unique because the Resurrection encourages us with God’s Word of a living Jesus. All other so-called prophets and founders of different religions have died. While their followers can go to a tomb and pay homage to dry bones, we can sing joyous praises to our Lord, who hears us! (1 John 5:14) The Christian faith has such powerful music because we have tremendous joy in our hearts. The Son of God is living within each one of us, and we cannot and should not hold the excitement inside.


Yet and still, as with His disciples, Jesus uses His Word to restore our lost hope and faith. There are many situations that arise that can cause our faith to simmer down and cool off. We can become fearful or even disappointed when we are faced with the unexpected.
When someone doesn’t offer encouraging words to support your hard efforts in your ministry or when it seems like prayers aren’t being answered while your situation gets worse are two possible scenarios that can create fear and disappointment within our own ministries. Christ offers us His Word all the time to restore our hope and faith so that we can continue producing in the area that He has called us to. Even when times get tough, it’s not so much about what personal promises you have made to yourself or others, as it is about God’s Word (Jesus).
His Word is an endless pool of restoration to the believer. As long as we continue to study, pray, and meditate on His Word we can swim a few laps around His pool and be restored. Actually, the Surgeon General, Jehovah Rophe, recommends that we all take a daily swim to improve and restore our heart’s condition.