Picture Scripture - Week 3 - House (Rebuilder/Restorer)
Thursday, September 20
House (Rebuilder/ Restorer)
Scripture: Isaiah 58:12; Isaiah 61:4; Jeremiah 31:3-4; Ezekiel 36:33-36.
In your journal, write any phrases/thoughts that speak to you from this selection of Bible verses.
There have been several occasions in my life where I witnessed homes being rebuilt after devastation. Two happened before I had even graduated high school - two of my best friends, Dayna Curtis Moseley and Rhonda Bookout Rogers, lost their homes to fire. Another time was when our family's treasured fishing camp was completely flooded after Hurricane Katrina.
In each case there was some type of chaos (fire and flood in the above examples) that caused a devastation. There was dedication and hard work toward the rebuilding. And, there was elation and excitement when the devastated home was restored.
Perhaps you've experienced some sort of devastation in your life and you have had to rebuild. The process isn't that different from the rebuilding of a home. The need to rebuild was caused by some type of chaos. This devastation could have been a result of something that was completely out of your control like the loss of a job, the diagnosis of an illness, the death of a loved one, etc. Or, you might have created your own chaos that caused devastation in your life by making choices that were more in alignment with what "self" wanted than what God has called us to do or be...in other words, sin! Regardless of HOW the devastation came about, there is the need to rebuild, a need to be restored.
We all know that that rebuilding takes a lot of hard work. And, for us as Christian women, this process begins with confession. We must confess our need to be restored and renewed. And then we dedicate ourselves to allowing the Holy Spirit to do the heavy lifting. We allow Him to help us to tear out old habits, break down limiting beliefs, piece together our priorities. We ask Him to then put in to place His plan for our life. Like any rebuilding process, it won't take place over night. But by placing our faith in our Father, we can be assured that there will be a beautiful outcome, a beautiful new life will be erected.
Ladies, be ecstatic! Today's message is one of hope. You see, not only do we have a Builder, we have a Rebuilder. No amount of devastation and mess is too big for our Savior. He can redeem anything, causing all to be even more beautiful than before.
Allow yourself to reflect on a time in your life that you have experienced “beauty from ashes” due to God’s redeeming love?
Dear Father,
Thank you for not just being The Builder, but also being The Rebuilder. Thank you for restoring our soul when we have been devastated by the chaos of this life. We ask that you take our lives today, rebuild them and renew them to create a generational change in our family’s legacy. (Isaiah 61:4). May we continually be in a state of rebuilding to look and be more and more like You. We thank you for the hope that we find in You and only You. No matter what storms come in this life may we learn to trust you more and more. Make us more beautiful today than yesterday. Make us more like you today than yesterday and make us more like you tomorrow than today. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
