Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Independence Day holiday yesterday! We are so blessed to live in the United States and to enjoy the freedom and liberty our country provides. Today I want to reflect on the freedom that the Lord also provides. It is He who repairs the broken-down areas of our lives. Below is an entry from my devotional, Drawing Near to God, that touches on this subject. The key verse is Isaiah 58, and I’m excited to share that I will be teaching the course I wrote on Isaiah this fall via our live teaching & worship experience as well as via streaming. There will be lots of exciting information about getting linked up with that study coming soon, so be sure to stay tuned.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Isaiah 58:12
The Lord promised in Isaiah 58 to satisfy His people in a sun-scorched land and to restore Jerusalem, His holy city. He is the Repairer of Broken Walls and Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. God promised to loose the chains of injustice and set the oppressed free. (Isaiah 58:6) When the Lord loosens our chains of oppression, He begins a work of rebuilding “our temple” into a dwelling place for Him. God came to redeem us from our sins and to restore the broken down places in our lives, revealing to us that He is both Savior and Redeemer.
Often we see the Lord as Savior alone, but He is also the Redeemer: He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted; to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. (Isaiah 61) Jesus declared that this passage described His mission on earth. (Luke 4:15-21) Jesus came not only to save but to redeem us from our places of darkness and oppression. Redeem means to “deem back”—to give back to us the places that the enemy has stolen. Children are most vulnerable, and at a young age the enemy tries to sew his seeds of destruction, seeking to block the development of our lives in Christ. He may sew seeds of jealousy, envy, unworthiness, and the like. Jesus Christ came to set us free from the seeds of destruction that the enemy has sewn. He saves us from our sin and delivers us from the lies.
God was known as the Repairer of Broken Walls, and through His Son Jesus Christ, He seeks to repair and restore our lives. Are you willing to allow Him to do some repair work? He stands waiting to begin.
Heavenly Father,
I am in need of repair. I can see the seeds of destruction in my life, and I desire for You to restore and rebuild those areas of my life. Thank you that You came to save me, deliver me, and make me whole.
In Jesus’ name, Amen