“Christ is building His kingdom with earth’s broken things… Heaven is filling with earth’s broken lives, and there is no bruised reed that Christ cannot take and restore to glorious blessedness and beauty. He can take the life crushed by pain or sorrow and make it into a harp whose music shall be all praise. He can lift earth’s saddest failure up to heaven’s glory.” — J.R. Miller
Restoration goes hand in hand with “renew”, God’s given word to me this year, and I’ve slowly been unpacking and experiencing something of its depths.
Namely the numerous ways in which we can become renewed, restored, and refreshed. Such a prospect offers us all great hope when life is hard.
As I’m in a season of requiring renewal, combined with extra rest and refuelling, I’m having to trust that the healing and restoration process continues silently within me even if I cannot see the results of it yet.
Because faith asks us to accept God is always at work even if it doesn’t look like it. And God specialises in encouraging the defeated, restoring the broken, healing the hurting, and strengthening the worn out and weary who trust in Him.
“The work of restoration cannot begin until a problem is fully faced.” — Dan B. Allender
Restoration I'm depleted come fall on me like rain saturate this place shower me with your love water all who thirst on earth I'm sorrowful come light my way with joy I lift my face expectant of your goodness hungry for your gift of grace I'm empty come fill me to the brim to overflowing with an excess to share with a fullness within I'm worried come soothe away the cares take the burdens lift them from my weary frame help me find relief in prayer I'm praising come rejoice and celebrate my heart ached God gave me his rest and peace now his child has her soul eased © joylenton
“May he be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.” — Psalm 72:6
Friends, I think I tried to come back to blogging too soon after moving house because I’ve not been so well over the last few months, hence the weeks of silence. I hope you will be happy to accept an occasional offering here and over at joylenton.com for a while instead of the more regular posts you were accustomed to.
PS: It’s my birthday today so I’m giving a free gift to you!! It’s a pdf copy of my ‘Soul Shots: 31 Days of Pocket Wisdom for Your Hurting Heart’ e-book, which is a warm hug for your heart, with a mix of soul refreshing poetry and encouraging prose. If you like it, please consider leaving a short review on Amazon so others might be encouraged to read it too. Thank you! Lots of love, Joy Xx 🙂 ❤
Poetry Joy 
Happy Birthday dear friend! Thank you for gifting us on your special day! Your words are always a comfort, whenever you are able to share them with us. What a sweet relief, to pray your poem along with you, as I am needing that same renewing as well. Blessings and love to you on this special day! Xoxo
Thank you, dear Bettie, for your kind birthday greetings and sweet encouragement! I could have no better companion in prayer than such an understanding friend who experiences similar things. Daily depletion is a feature of both our lives, but so is the amazing comfort, grace, and continual support of our Lord Jesus Christ. May you rest well and soon become refreshed, renewed and restored by God. Sending blessings, prayers, love and hugs. xoxo 💟🙏🏻
A sense of being depleted seems to be a norm among many of us right now. Thanks for your gracious words. May your Birthday and the coming year be filled with light, hope and joy.
Indeed it is, Shirley. There is much that makes us fatigued in life even if we’re healthy otherwise. The last 18 months have been so unsettling, fear-filled, and wearying for us all. May God give us strength enough to survive, thrive and cope with whatever gets thrown at us. Thank you so much for your lovely birthday blessing. My soul gratefully receives it! x ❤️
Your poem is absolutely beautiful. I truly believe in that God-given renewal as well. Happy birthday, my friend, and peace and healing be with you.
It gives us such hope, doesn’t it, Deborah? Thank you so much for your sweet encouragement and lovely birthday blessing. May those things be with you, too, my friend. xo 😊💟
How are you? We haven’t heard from you in a while. Hope all is well. Hugs
Dear Deborah, bless you for thinking about me and noticing my prolonged absence here. I’m not as well as I would like to be. Moving home in May, settling in, and readying our previous house for selling have taken their toll on me, even though my role has largely been supervisory and not a physical one. It’s greatly impacted my already depleted state and low energy levels and sunk them further than before. I long to return to an active online life but just don’t have it in me yet. But I am still quietly writing poetry and mulling over ideas for a new book, if not for future posts! Hope you are keeping well. Hope to stop by again soon. Grateful hugs and love. xo 💟