Are you counting down days to your summer vacation? Are you tired, empty or worn out? You are not alone. It happens. But don’t be discouraged or dismayed. Help is very near. And that help is powerful yet gentle. It’s creative and redemptive. Because of Jesus, this restoration is possible.

The biggest restoration happens when we come to Jesus for the first time. This is complete renewal, not just a quick-fix to conceal some faults. Jesus cleanses us from inside out. But our need for grace and restoration does not stop there. We need Jesus and empowering grace every day of our lives.

As an adult, we might not want to admit our dependence on grace. But nonetheless, every Christian is totally dependent on grace. The faster we learn this, the faster we get to live it out. And that makes all the difference. Then we don’t try to push harder and harder to perform and fake perfection. We learn to truly live in grace, peace, and joy.

How does restoration happen?

What does it take to revive us? We need the Holy Spirit to fill our empty hearts. This might seem like ya-da-ya-da or empty promises to you. But it does work. God is real and his Spirit moves amongst us. The presence of the Holy Spirit is not reserved just for some selected few but for every single follower of Christ. Alone we are empty but when we ask the Holy Spirit fill us, miracles happen. Restoration happen.

Whether it is the first time or the 10 000th time that we come to Jesus, it makes him happy. This is exactly why Jesus came to the world. If we keep away because of our pride or other prejudices, it grieves him. When we come to him, he is pleased and we are blessed indeed.

What does it have to do with me?

What does this have to do with your exhaustion? Everything. The answer to exhaustion and weariness is Jesus. There’s no program or course or anything to do, we are just to come to Jesus. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28, NIV). Jesus can lift our exhaustion away. He will bring us to the green pastures. I don’t know why I am still surprised when this happens. Maybe it just is so amazing to experience the healing touch of Jesus.

 

Gracious God,
We come to you bone-weary, we’ve done it again:
tried to do and be everything on our own.
Redeem us, restore us, renew us.
Pour out grace upon grace, Lord.
Let us feel your healing presence.
Bless us according to your plan for us.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: Are you in need of restoration? Have you experienced the healing touch of Jesus?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you (re)turn to Jesus for restoration!

*[As you might have noticed, I enjoy reading the Bible in different translations and love comparing them. I have started linking the Bible verses toBiblegateway.com so you can easily read (and compare) them in the different versions I’ve used while preparing each post.].

Photo by Josh Post on Unsplash. Linking up today with Dance with Jesus, Five-minute Friday.