Psalm 23:2-3 

 “He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul.”

“He restores my soul.”  For most of my life, these words tied my stomach in knots.  I struggled with the meaning of the word restoration.  Anyone who has worked with kids has probably said, “Put it back like it was.”  I remember a time when I had toddlers, and I came into their room. Every piece of furniture was pulled away from the wall, and every shelf emptied, tote turned over, etc…I could barely get in the room.  Now, at that time, they were too young to “put it back” on their own, so together we worked, ”restoring” the room to its former self. That’s what restoration is.  We think about restoring furniture, and that’s bringing it back to what it was supposed to be.  The same is with us.  God restores our souls back to what they should be, in communion with Him. But knowing the meaning just made me wonder, where is the restoration in chronic illness? Where is the restoration in grief, and in the hard after hard after hard? And if there is no restoration like promised in Psalm 23, then where is “HE?” 

Elijah, the prophet, came to a point in his life where he wrestled with his relationship with God.  Yes, God had provided for him through the three-year drought (1 Kings 17:6, 1 Kings 17:15), and even showed Himself in mighty ways on Mount Carmel with the priests of Baal (1 Kings 18). Yet, after what is one of Elijah’s greatest spiritual victories with God, we find him under a tree wanting to die.  It’s those times in our lives when the doubts assail, and our communion with God is interrupted, we need restoration.  We may ask where is GOD in this? I think that’s why I love this story so much.  It reminds us that God is always there, just maybe not how we expected.

After great success, Elijah finds himself alone in the wilderness, hiding under a tree.  “What’s the point?” he cries out.  “I might as well be dead.” (1 Kings 19:4) Queen Jezebel sought to kill him; he’s already been through some rough years, and now he was all alone.  There, Elijah lay down and slept, and an angel woke him, telling him to eat and drink.  This reminder from verse eight tells us that sometimes, when we think all hope is lost, what we really need is a snack and a nap.  In all seriousness, what it tells us even more so is that God gives us what we need to go through the wilderness.  Sometimes that rest is short-lived, not what we were wanting, and Elijah’s worries were far from over.  After more food and rest he headed to Horeb, the mountain of God.  There for 40 days and nights, Elijah waited and hid for his life, and if he was anything like we can be, probably wondering where God was.   

In God’s timing, He spoke to Elijah.

“What are you doing here?” He asked. (Verse 9)

I can just imagine after waiting and wondering, now was Elijah’s chance to let God know how he’s feeling.  He lays out his faithfulness to God, yet all of the hard things keep happening, and how he must be all alone in his faithfulness.  And God doesn’t respond to these cries directly.  He says, “Go stand out on the mountain.”   Elijah obeyed, waiting for God’s response.  First, a great wind came and tore at the mountain, wind so strong that rocks were broken.  We’re told, “But the LORD was not in the wind.” (verse 11)  Next there was a terrible earthquake, but “the LORD was not in the earthquake.” (11)  Finally a fire rages across the mountain.  “But the LORD was not in the fire.” (12) Elijah had seen the mighty hand of God many times. He’d seen the rain stop, fire fall from heaven, and people raised from the dead.  But now, in these mighty wonders, God was not there.        

Then, there was a small whisper, and God was in it.  He asked Elijah what he had asked him earlier.  

“What are you doing here?”(Verse 13)

Even with all that had just happened, Elijah had the same answer.  “I’ve been faithful, but I’m all alone.” When I answer the questions of God in this way, I often follow it up with “So, what’s the point?  Where is the restoration in this?  This whole being faithful thing is not working.”  Do you ever feel that way?  When I look at the things that Elijah faced on the mountain, and how God showed up in a way that was not expected, I need to remember that the same thing can be said in my life.  I can wonder where God is.  And lots of times, He won’t be where I expect Him to be, for His ways are not my ways (Isaiah 55).  God has not abandoned us. He’s not stopped restoring us to a relationship with Him.  

God gave Elijah the next steps that he should take, and in doing so, He showed him, there’s more than this.  His faithfulness was not in vain.  Elijah’s work would continue on with new rulers and prophets.  Elijah was not the only one God was restoring.  He was restoring Israel to Himself as well.  That was the greater restoration. 

As God restores our souls, letting us know each day that God is still there, even in ways we don’t expect, there’s still a great restoration.  When Christ came, His death on the cross was the sacrifice that made restoration with God possible.  Ever since the fall of man, there’s been a hindrance to our relationships with God, and that’s not the way it’s supposed to be.  As He personally restores our souls, He’s also restoring His kingdom to what it’s supposed to be.  Revelation tells us that one day, “Beyond, the dwelling place of God is with man.  He will dwell with them, and they will be His people and God Himself will be with them as their God.” (Revelation 21:3)  That’s the way it is supposed to be.

There is a temporary restoration, and a greater restoration is to come.  Thanks be to God for daily restoration and new mercies each day, but even more for the great restoration that He is doing in our lives, to bring us back to what He created first. One day, we will be restored to the communion with Him that we had in the garden.