Restoration & Rejoicing

Well, good morning, church. Turn with me to the book of Joel. If you have a Bible,

if you're here in the sanctuary, the reading will also be on the screens.

We are looking at Joel chapter 2, verses 18 to 27. If you're looking in a Bible,

Joel 2:18–27

the book of Joel is a little book, and it's at the beginning of what's called the Minor Prophets,

which is the 12 shorter prophetical books at the end of the Old Testament.

So it's after Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and then Daniel, and then Hosea and Joel.

So we are looking at this short little book over the next couple of weeks.

We'll be looking at the...we've come to the second half of the book.

We'll be looking at the second half of the book over the next couple of weeks.

So Joel, I'm going to read chapter 2, beginning at verse 18.

Then the Lord became jealous for his land and had pity on his people.

The Lord answered and said to his people,

Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied.

And I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.

I will remove the northerner far from you and drive him into a parched and desolate land,

his vanguard into the eastern sea and his rear guard into the western sea.

The stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great things.

Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things.

Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green.

The tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and vine give their full yield.

Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God,

for he has given the early rain for your vindication.

He has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain as before.

The threshing floor shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,

the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army which I sent among you.

You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,

and praise the name of the Lord your God who has dealt wondrously with you,

and my people shall never again be put to shame.

You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,

and that I am the Lord your God, and there is none else,

and my people shall never again be put to shame.

So almost two weeks ago, my wife Jane came down with some sharp stomach pains.

We were driving home, and I said,

So how bad is it?

And she said,

Well, the only thing I can compare it to is childbirth.

Now, obviously, I don't really know what childbirth feels like,

but I've been there and seen it from the outside three times.

It's pretty intense.

And I don't think I've ever heard my wife compare any other pain to that.

So she went to the doctor.

Doctor said,

Well, let's do some blood work.

Maybe just a stomach, but it's maybe just a stomach virus.

We'll just wait and see if it passes.

Well, next day, the doctor calls back, says,

Your blood work came back.

You need to go to the hospital.

We think you have appendicitis.

Which was the case.

She had surgery that night.

They took it out.

She came home the next morning.

It all happened very quickly.

Jane's recovered very well.

She was here with my family last night at the outdoor service.

But we thank God for his provision and for his care for us

in a whole bunch of ways through that,

including many of you who prayed for us

and cared for us in some many practical ways.

You know, on a normal day,

none of us would choose to go under anesthesia,

get cut open,

have somebody we don't know

fiddling around with instruments inside our body,

and then have to recover afterwards.

Surgery can be scary and painful,

even, at times, dangerous.

But some things are even more dangerous,

including appendicitis.

When the appendix gets infected and inflamed,

if you don't do something quickly,

the infection will spread,

and it will get far more serious.

So in most cases,

surgery is the only way to health.

Back in 1535, Martin Luther wrote,

God wounds in order to heal.

He kills in order to make alive.

In other words,

God is like a skilled surgeon

who cuts us open in order to remove the infection,

but his ultimate purpose is not to destroy us,

but rather to heal us.

To put us back together again,

whole and complete

and fully alive

and functioning in him.

Now, Martin Luther wrote that

in his commentary on Galatians,

but he could have said the same thing

about the book of Joel.

God wounds in order to heal.

He kills in order to make alive.

Because the book of Joel,

as we've seen in the last two weeks,

began with a devastating loss,

a natural disaster,

a plague of locusts

who, like an invading army,

had laid waste the entire land.

And in the face of great loss,

we heard Joel's call to lament.

In other words,

to grieve in a direction,

to grieve toward the one true God.

And then last week,

Joel sounded the alarm

about a coming judgment of God

that would be even worse,

even more terrifying

than the locust invasion,

the day of the Lord,

a day of God's righteous

and final judgment.

And in the face of that coming judgment,

we heard Joel's call to repent,

to turn to the Lord

with all our hearts.

So far, the book of Joel

has been about present disaster

and future judgment,

a call to lament

and a call to repent.

But this week,

we come to the turning point

of the book.

And today,

we hear a message of joy

and hope

and restoration

and newness of life.

So this morning,

I want us to do three things

as we look at this passage.

First, I want us to see

God's heart

for restoration.

Second, I want us to hear

God's promise

of restoration.

And third,

I want us to consider

our response.

So first,

I want us to see

God's heart.

And we see God's heart

in verse 18.

Now, verse 18

marks the transition

between the first half of Joel

about the disaster

and lamenting

and repenting

and the second half of Joel

which is all about

restoration

and hope

and joy

and a glorious future

for the people of God.

Now, as with many

of the Old Testament prophets,

we don't know

whether,

exactly where and how

this message

was first delivered.

So we don't know

if the book of Joel

was one sermon

that Joel preached

all in one day,

all at one time,

or whether it was more

like a compilation

of messages

that he had given

throughout his lifetime.

Because in the book of Joel,

there's no narrator

that gives us

the historical context.

Right?

If you read the whole book

of Joel,

it's just Joel's speeches.

Except for this one verse.

Verse 18.

In verse 18,

it's not Joel speaking.

It's a narrator's voice

giving us a glimpse

into the very heart of God.

Then the Lord

was jealous

for his land

and had pity

on his people.

And this is the crucial

turning point of the book.

It's the bridge between

lamenting and repenting

and disaster

and judgment

and into joy

and hope

and restoration

and fulfillment.

You might say

verse 18 is the hinge

on which the whole book turns.

So I want to park here

and sort of sit on this bridge

for a little while.

What do we see in this verse?

Verse 18.

Well,

we see an indication

that the people

and their leaders

had taken

the first half of Joel

to heart.

They had heard

his call

to lament

and repent

and they had turned

to the Lord.

They had laid

everything else aside.

They had gathered together.

They had wept

and prayed

and cried out

to the Lord

for mercy.

And we'll see

in this passage

that God answers

the specific prayer

that Joel told them

to pray

in verse 17.

We'll see

as we go through

this passage.

He responds

directly

to that

exact

prayer.

But even more

in verse 18,

we see not just

an indication

of the people's response

but we see

God's heart

for his people.

The Lord's deep

feelings

for his people.

It says

the Lord became

jealous

for his land.

In other words,

we see

God's

zealous

love,

his passionate

concern,

his burning

dedication

to that

which is

his very own.

The Lord

saw his

land

overrun

by destructive

locusts.

Now on the one hand,

Joel says

very clearly

that God

sent

the locusts.

Verse 25,

the locusts

were my

great army

which I

sent among you.

The locust plague

was not an accident.

It didn't come

out of nowhere.

It wasn't a surprise

to God.

God had sent

the devastating

locusts

to discipline

his people

and to bring

them to repentance.

But on the other

hand,

God's desire

and God's plan

was never

to give

over his

land permanently

to the locusts.

God had sent

them for a time

but ultimately

the locusts

were trespassers

on God's land.

God had promised

his land

to his people,

to his children,

not to the locusts.

And the Lord

wanted his land

back.

He was jealous

for his land

and it says

he had pity

on his people.

Now this is

a direct answer

to the prayer

that was prayed

in verse 17.

If you look up

in verse 17,

the prayer

that Joel tells

him to pray

starts with

spare your people,

O Lord.

And this word

that's translated

have pity

can also be

translated

spare.

So Malachi 3.17

God says

they shall be mine.

He's referring

to his people.

They shall be mine

in the day

when I make up

my treasured

possession

and I will

spare them.

Same word

as a man

spares his son

who serves him.

You see,

the God of the Bible

is a God

of compassion

and mercy.

He is not

abstract and distant,

uninvolved

and uncaring.

He is not ruthless

and relentless

in his judgments.

No,

he has deep feelings

for his people.

The kind of feelings

that a good parent

has

for their very

own child.

And when we

turn back to him,

God spares us

from the punishment

that we rightly

deserve.

So brothers and

sisters,

do you see

God's heart

for you

and for us

as a church

in this verse?

Now Joel was

talking to the

ancient Israelites

who had experienced

the devastation

of a locust plague.

Our situation

is different

from theirs

in a whole bunch

of ways.

But whatever

the disappointment,

whatever the loss,

whatever the devastation

that you might

have experienced,

Joel's words

still speak to us

because the heart

of God

for his people

has not

changed.

God is still

jealous for all

that rightly

belongs to him.

In other words,

he wants us

to be his

and his alone.

Just like a husband

and wife rightly

desire each other's

exclusive loyalty

and affection.

So God does not

rejoice

when our lives

are overrun

by things

that are not

of him.

by sinful

addictions

or destructive

temptations

or habits.

God does not

rejoice

when disaster

befalls us

and when we

cry out in pain.

Even when he

sent hard

things into

our lives

to call us

back to him.

God does not

rejoice

at those things.

No, he's

passionately

concerned for

the well-being

of his own

people who

belong to him

and who are

called by his

name and he

loves us

with a jealous

and zealous

love.

He won't

let us

go.

And you know

what?

He's still

compassionate

and merciful.

He spares us

from the punishment

that we deserve

through Jesus Christ

our great high priest.

God hears

and answers

our prayers

when we

come before

his throne

of grace

and cry out

for grace

and mercy

and help

in our time

of need.

The New Testament

says Jesus

is a merciful

and faithful

high priest

on our behalf.

God

this is the

God we

serve

and we

can approach

him with

confidence

because we

know he

hears

because we

know he

cares.

So that's

the heart

of God

that we

see in

verse 18.

That's our

first point.

But then

starting in

verse 19

we come to

our second

point.

We hear

God's

promise.

Now what

did God

promise

to the

people of

Israel

back then?

Well he

promised that

everything they

had lost

in the

locust

plague

would now

be restored.

What are

some examples

of things

that they

had lost

that God

was promising

to restore?

Well he

promises to

restore their

food.

Chapter 1

verse 10

and 12

Joel laments

the grain

is destroyed

the wine

dries up

the oil

languishes

and gladness

dries up

from the

children of

man.

But now

chapter 2

verse 19

the Lord

speaks and

says behold

look I'm

sending to

you grain

wine and

oil and

you will be

satisfied.

The threshing

floors verse

24 will be

full of

grain.

The vats

will overflow

with wine

and oil.

Many of us

don't fully

appreciate the

promises of

abundant food

in the

Bible.

Because for

some of us

we've always

had plenty of

food on the

table.

We've always

been able to

go to the

supermarket.

The shelves

have never been

completely bare.

There's always

plenty of

things to

choose from.

But people

who have

experienced

hunger or

famine or

extreme poverty

if you've been

through any of

those things

if you've not

known where

your next

meal is

coming from

you know

that food

isn't just

something that

we can take

for granted.

Food is a

gift from

God.

It's a daily

reminder of

his provision

and kindness

toward his

creatures.

And for the

Israelites in

the Old

Testament food

was also a

sign of their

covenant

relationship with

God because

God had

promised them

in Deuteronomy

that if they

would obey

his commands

that he would

send the

early rain

and the

later rain

and it

specifically

says he

would give

so they

could harvest

their grain

and wine

and oil

the sort

of staple

foods that

sustain them

throughout the

year.

You know

in the New

Testament food

is also a sign

of our covenant

with God when

we share the

Lord's Supper

when we eat

the bread

and drink the

cup

those are signs

that God

continues to

sustain us

and nourish

us physically

and spiritually

by his

grace.

But it's not

only their food

that God

promises to

restore,

God also

promises to

restore their

honor.

Again,

in chapter 1

and 2

they were

full of

shame.

Chapter 1

verse 11

Be ashamed

O tillers

of the soil

because the

harvest of

the field

has perished.

All their

work had

amounted to

nothing.

You know

for many

people we

can feel a

deep sense

of shame

when our

work seems

to amount

to nothing.

We feel like

we've got

nothing to

show for

ourselves,

nothing to

take pride

in.

You know

if you

found yourself

unemployed

for an

extended period

of time

or stuck

in a job

where your

efforts go

unrewarded

and unrecognized

it's not

uncommon to

also feel

worthlessness,

rejection,

anger,

depression.

Those are

manifestations

of shame.

And in

chapter 2

verse 17

we see it

wasn't just

the workers

who were

feeling shame

because they

had nothing

to show

for themselves.

The whole

nation was

on the brink

of utter

shame,

utter embarrassment.

And so they

pray,

make not your

heritage a

reproach,

a laughingstock,

a byword among

the nations.

Why should they

say among the

peoples,

where's their

God?

God?

They were

all feeling

completely

ashamed.

But look at

what God

says here.

Chapter 2

verse 19,

I will no

more make

you a

reproach

among the

nations.

Chapter 2

verse 26,

my people

shall never

again be

put to

shame.

He repeats

it again

at the end

of verse

27.

And this

is a promise

that the

New Testament

picks up

on.

Both Paul

and Peter

in their

letters to

early Christians

write this,

whoever trusts

in Jesus

will never

be put

to shame.

And why

is that

true?

It's because

everything that

belongs to

Jesus is

now ours.

And everything

that belongs

to us is

now his.

You see,

Jesus has

taken our

shame and

our regret,

our failure,

our futility,

glory.

And he

has included

us in his

accomplishment,

in his

victory,

in his

glory,

and in the

work of

his kingdom.

In Jesus,

we have

something to

rejoice and

be confident

in and

glory in

because of

our connection

to him.

So God

would restore

their food,

he would

restore their

honor,

he also

promises to

restore their

peace.

The locusts

were like an

enemy invasion.

In fact,

some people

wonder,

are the

locusts a

metaphor for

an enemy

invasion or

is an

enemy invasion

a metaphor

for the

locust plague?

Or is it

both?

Maybe they

were experiencing

some of

both.

Either way,

look at what

verse 20

says.

I will

remove the

northerner.

Perhaps the

locusts had

come from

the north.

Many of

Israel's enemies

came from

the north.

I will

remove the

northerner

far from

you and

drive him

into a

parched and

desolate land.

Most likely

that's a

reference to

the south

of Judah,

which is a

desert.

His vanguard

into the

eastern sea,

the dead sea,

and his rear

guard into

the western

sea.

In other

words,

God clears

out the

enemy,

sort of like

sweeping

something out

down east

west,

clears out

the land

from these

destructive

enemies.

The stench

and foul

smell of

him will

rise.

In the

ancient world

it was well

known that

when locusts

came to

the end

of their

devouring

and they

would all

die,

their corpses

would stank

horribly.

So ancient

writers talk

about this.

It sometimes

even poisoned

the water

supply or

contaminated it

when they

all died

at the

edge of

a sea or

something like

that.

God promises

to drive away

the hostile

locusts and

restore peace

to their

land.

And finally,

God promises

in verse 25

to restore

their lost

years.

I will

restore to

you.

Literally the

word is I

will pay

you back

or I will

make up

to you

the years

that the

swarming

locusts

has eaten,

the hopper,

the destroyer,

and the cutter.

And again,

this echoes

chapter 1,

verse 4,

where those

four kinds

of locusts

are mentioned

in succession.

You see,

all that we

see,

all these

promises

in verses

18 to 27

are gradually

reversing all

the destruction

that we

saw in

chapters 1

and the

beginning of

chapter 2.

Everything

the people

had lost,

food,

honor,

peace,

years of

their lives

would be

restored.

Now,

notice that

this restoration

Joel promises

does not

happen instantly

all in one

day.

Joel seems

to be speaking

at least partly

about things

that have not

yet happened.

That's why

most translations

translate most

of the verbs

in the future

tense.

I will do

this.

You shall

have this.

But there's

an interesting

feature of

the Hebrew

verbs in

this section.

Now,

this gets a

little technical,

but it's worth

digging into.

Most of the

verbs in

verses 19

to 27

are in

what is

called

the perfect

tense.

So,

normally in

Hebrew,

the perfect

tense

refers to

an action

that is

seen

or portrayed

as a

completed

whole.

So,

it's not

describing

an action

that might

happen in

the future

or might

not.

It's not

describing

something

that's still

in process

and still

unfolding

and still

a little

up in

the air.

No,

it's describing

an action

in its

completeness,

in its

wholeness.

That's why

it's called

the perfect

tense.

But here's

the thing.

The Old

Testament

prophets,

including

Joel here,

sometimes use

the perfect

tense

to refer

to events

that have

not yet

happened.

But God

promises

that they

will.

And why

do they

do this?

The point

they're making

is even

though these

events have

not yet

unfolded

in history,

God has

promised that

they will

happen and

so they

are as

sure and

certain and

complete as

if they had

already

happened.

you can

be as

sure and

certain that

these things

will come

to pass as

you can be

sure about

what happened

yesterday.

Joel never

lays out a

definite timeline,

but he

promises that

everything the

people had

lost would

one day be

restored.

Now, of

course, we

need to ask,

how does

this promise

apply to

us today?

Well, in

the New

Testament, the

main principle

still holds.

Because the

New Testament

tells us that

Jesus Christ

came into the

world to

restore everything

that had been

damaged and

destroyed by

sin.

And if you

have come and

placed your

faith and

trust in Jesus

as your

Savior and

Lord, every

part of your

life is

included in

that promise

of restoration.

every hunger

and thirst

you have

experienced,

every rejection

and defeat,

every attack

and betrayal,

all the

squandered

opportunities

and all the

devoured

years.

Jesus Christ

is big enough

to redeem

all those.

If you are

a Christian,

what Martin

Luther said

is true for

you.

God wounds

in order to

heal.

He kills

in order to

make alive.

on the

other side

of every

death and

every loss

that you

experience in

union with

Jesus is a

resurrection and

a renewal.

Now, some of

you have

experienced

devastating loss,

traumatic loss,

with long-term

consequences,

and you can't

see how you

could fully

recover.

Some of you

are in the

middle of loss.

You're reeling.

You're overwhelmed.

You're depressed.

You can't

see a way

forward,

or can

hardly see a

way forward,

much less a

way through.

That's

normal.

When you're

in the middle

of a loss,

you can't

see what

the resurrection

is going to

look like on

the other

side.

You know,

when Jesus

Christ died

on the cross

and his

followers took

his body

and wrapped

it up and

laid it in a

tomb,

they had no

idea what

to expect.

And all of

their expectations

would have

been wrong.

But three

days later,

Jesus rose up

from the

grave.

And if he

can do that,

he can restore

and heal

and renew

us in ways

that we

would never

have thought

possible.

You see,

when you're

in the middle

of loss

and pain

and hurt

and shame

and all

of this,

sometimes all

you can do

is hold

on to

Jesus one

day at a

time.

You must

not determine

in your own

mind how

and when

God must

fix things.

Because God

works in

his own

way and in

his own

time and

some of

our healing

and restoration

will come

in this

life and

some of

it will

be granted

in the

age to

come.

You know,

when you're

recovering from

surgery,

you have to

follow the

doctor's

instructions

and not

trust your

own feelings

and instincts.

Because when

you're recovering

from surgery,

some days you

feel horrible

and you want

to stay in

bed all day.

But the

doctor's orders

are do

physical therapy.

Get up,

move around,

exercise your

muscles because

that's the only

way you're

going to heal.

And other

days you

feel great

and the

doctor's

orders are

take it

slow,

don't lift

anything,

and don't

overdo it.

And in the

same way,

when we're

recovering from

loss, we

need to not

let our

feelings and

instincts be

in the

driver's seat.

Our feelings

and instincts

are always

going to be

in the car

with us.

You can't

throw them

out the

window,

right?

They're always

going to be

there.

But don't

let them

be in the

driver's seat.

Let God's

word be

in the

driver's

seat.

Trust his

commands.

Again, what

did Jesus'

followers do

when they

laid him

in the

grave?

When they

were grieving,

they thought

the whole

thing has

ended in

failure.

What did

they do?

They rested

on the

Sabbath day.

Because guess

what God had

told the

Israelites to

do in the

Old Testament?

Rest on

the Sabbath

day.

It was

clear.

That was the

only thing

they could

do.

So they

stopped.

They

didn't do

anything

for a

day.

They

observed

the

Sabbath

as they

normally

would have.

And then

after that,

they went

to the

tomb.

And then

Jesus was

resurrected.

And then

it was

crazy.

And it

was great.

And it

was amazing.

And all

the healing

and restoration

began.

But in

the meantime,

they just

had to

obey what

God had

told them,

even though

they didn't

understand.

Jesus

Christ has

blazed

away from

death and

loss and

devastation into

resurrection.

life and

power.

His

resurrection

from the

grave is

greater than

your most

devastating

losses.

His healing

hands are

more than

able to

mend your

deepest

fractures.

His voice

continues to

speak honor

and hope in

the place of

shame and

despair.

Even though

it hasn't yet

happened,

his promise is

as good as

if it already

had.

I am making

all things

new.

God is

speaking to

God's

God's

God's

promise.

That brings

us to our

third point.

We've seen

God's heart,

we've heard

God's promise,

and finally,

let's consider

our response.

Verses 21

to 23 call

us to

respond to

the Lord's

promise.

And

interestingly,

these verses

are sandwiched in

the middle of

God's promises.

So God is

speaking to

his people,

verse 19

through 20,

and verse 24

to 27,

God speaks to

his people,

and the first

person,

he says,

I will do

this for

you.

I will make

this happen

for you.

But then in

the middle of

verses 21

to 23,

there's a

call to

respond.

And it's

actually addressed

to the whole

creation,

to the land,

to the animals,

and finally to

the children of

Zion, to the

people of

God.

The fate of

all creation

ultimately hangs

together.

Right?

The land, the

animals, and

then the

central piece,

the people of

God, who

God's image

bearers.

But what's the

response that

Joel calls for?

He says two

things.

Fear not.

This is repeated

in verse 21

and verse 22.

And second,

rejoice.

Be glad.

Verse 21 and

verse 23.

Sometimes God

repeats things in

the scripture

because we need

to hear them

over and over.

And these

commands to

fear not and

to rejoice in

the Lord are

repeated over and

over to God's

people in the

Old Testament and

in the New

Testament.

On the night

that Jesus was

born, what was

the message the

angel brought to

the shepherds?

Fear not, for I

bring you good

news of great joy

that will be for

all the people.

Because unto you

this day in the

city of David is

born a Savior,

Christ the Lord.

And the

Apostle Paul in

his letter to the

Romans picks up

these same themes.

He says, fear not

if God is for us,

who can be against

us?

If God did not

spare his own

son for us, how

will he not also

graciously give us

all things?

And Paul says,

rejoice in the

Lord.

He says, we rejoice

in the hope of the

glory of God.

In other words,

Paul says, we

don't just rejoice

in what we already

have and what we

already experience in

full.

We've tasted the

goodness in Jesus

that we're going to

experience for all

eternity and there's

joy in the

anticipation.

Because God's

promises can be

counted on.

One Christian

writer said, in

earthly terms,

hope is certainty

of time and

uncertainty of

event.

So we say, I

hope it will be a

pleasant day tomorrow

and we can have a

picnic in the park.

Guess what?

Tomorrow's going to

come.

It might or might not

be a nice day.

Certainty of time,

uncertainty of event.

But he says in the

Bible, it's the

reverse.

Hope is uncertainty

of time,

certainty of event.

event.

I will make all

things new.

Right?

Certainty of event.

Jesus doesn't tell us

the time.

But we can be

confident in his

promise.

Finally, the book of

Hebrews echoes these

themes in chapter 12

when it says that God

disciplines those he

loves.

In other words, God

trains us even

through painful

trials.

He says,

discipline is always

painful in the

moment.

But on the other

side of it, there's a

harvest of righteousness

and peace for those

who have been trained

by it.

You know, some of you

have done these sort

of crazy workouts.

Maybe you've done

CrossFit or those

insanity workouts.

Maybe you've trained

for a 5K or a

half marathon.

Right?

It's hard.

It's painful in the

short term.

When you're in the

middle, especially when

you just start those

routines.

But there's satisfaction

on the other side.

There's joy on the

end of it.

And Hebrews is saying,

yes, there's pain in

the short term.

But on the other side,

there's a harvest of

righteousness and peace

that God works in us.

Even when he brings us

through hard seasons,

through loss,

pain,

and even devastation,

but he's bringing us

into hope and restoration

and a future with him.

Let me close by reading

the last two verses

and hear this promise

from God to us.

You shall eat in plenty

and be satisfied

and praise the name

of the Lord your God

who has dealt

wondrously with you.

And my people

shall never again

be put to shame.

You shall know

that I am in the midst

of you and that I

am the Lord your God

and there is no one else.

And my people

shall never again

be put to shame.

Let's pray.

Father God,

we thank you

for these promises

of restoration

and this call

to rejoice in you.

We thank you

for sending your son Jesus

to accomplish this work

of restoration

and healing

on our behalf

through his death,

taking on our sins

upon himself

and through his resurrection,

granting and bestowing

upon us his life

forevermore.

We pray that we would

take hold of these promises.

We pray that we would

be able to taste

the joy

and healing

and restoration

that you promised.

We pray that we would

experience that

more and more

even in our daily lives,

even in the present age,

even as we look forward

to the completion

of that

in the age to come

when you return.

We pray all these things

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.