God who restores.
When we hear of restoring an old car, or a building, we think of returning something to its original state. While this is a part of restoration, restoration is so much more than simply returning something to its original state.
For example, an old classic car. In its original state, when that car first came out, it was perfection. It was the highest level of technology, design and performance of that day. It was beautiful, perfect. There was no more to be desired.
Fast forward 50 years, even 80 years, this same car, someone is going to restore. He will not only return it to its original glory, but he is going to add to it. The engine will be rebuilt with stronger, more efficient parts. He will probably add an AC system, maybe even an expensive sound system. The braking system is usually upgraded, as well as wiring and lighting. Tires are replaced with better; the interior is refinished with high quality products. The entire car is now much more valuable than it was in its original state of perfection!
Restoration is not just a returning to the original state of being, but it is an adding of value.
To make better.
Improve. Enhance. Upgrade.
When an old farmhouse is restored, not only is it returned to its original splendor and glory, but it is much improved. Electricity, indoor plumbing, beautiful lighting, colors and decor is all carefully selected and meticulously installed. There are dozens of improvements that go into restoring an old farmhouse. Not only is everything made new, but it is made better. The house has enormously increased in value because it has been restored.
It is the same with our lives.
Jehovah El-Ashiyb. God who restores.
This Jehovah El-Ashiyb goes beyond original perfection. He uses our failures, our scars, our ashes, and he restores. The original human state of sinless perfection isn’t the apex of human existence. Restoration is the apex of human existence.
What sin has broken, damaged and destroyed becomes the darker colors in a mural that enhance the bright colors. It is the knot-holes, the scars and flaws in the wood grain that make the paneling so beautiful and unique. These things are seamlessly woven into the final picture and give life, credence and inestimable value to the finished product.
The scars and flaws aren’t ignored or covered; they are used to enhance the final product.
Jehovah El-Ashiyb can take your history, your ramshackle house, your rusty old car and do a work of restoration. He does it so well, so thoroughly, that the finished product is beyond what we could have ever imagined.
I love this definition of restoration:
‘To receive back more than has been lost to the point where the final state is greater than the original condition.’
Do not underestimate this God, this Jehovah El-Ashiyb. He is in the restoration business. It is his name; it is who he is.