Restore

Early morning reading in Isaiah with Jeremy and RESTORE pops out of the page at me.  My mind wanders to a friend whose marriage is dissolving.  Desperate, urgent prayers begin for restoration.  Restoration of health, mind, spirit, heart, relationship.  

Restoration of life and love.

Later I recall I haven't heard from a friend all weekend about her son.  Again RESTORE.  Pleading prayers for God to restore hearts, minds, souls, relationships.  

Restoration of hope.

A blog post from a friend fighting cancer informs me of her recent struggles with chemo treatments and steroids and I whisper RESTORE. 

Restoration of body.

Searching this word in Scripture and I am reminded HE is the one who restores.
Psalm 23:3 
He restores my soul.

Psalm 30:3
O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

Lamentations 5:21

Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old—

Three times the Psalmist in Psalm 80 says:

Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!

As I am begging for restoration, I am praying for us to have a posture of trust, surrender, repentance.  

Restore means to get back what was lost or taken away.  To bring back or reconstruct, to reestablish.

Included in all these prayers for restoration is a prayer for 

Restoration of faith.

Lord God, may you bring back health, 
 reconstruct life, restore lost relationship and hope
and reestablish faith.