Restoration

Psalm 51:10-12 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence,
    and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and sustain in me a willing spirit.

In a mall I used to visit in Princeton, there’s a store called Restoration Hardware. In my mind – it always seemed misnamed. It’s a store filled with beautiful furniture. Nothing looked like it had been restored and there was no hardware in sight. Once I asked my question to a worker, and learned that the name comes from the ethos of restoring the connection between architecture and décor – creating alignment and flow – designing a more integrated style of furnishings.

It hit me when I came across this Psalm, that the Psalmist, and maybe all of us, are looking for the kind of integration and alignment that the word restoration implies. We want our hearts made clean, our spirits made whole, our lives re-directed toward the God who loves us, forgives us and welcomes us into a deeper relationship. We want to be restored to new life and new chances to thrive.

Reflection Questions:

  • Where does your life feel out of alignment?
  • What would it feel like to thrive?
  • What prayer of restoration do you want to pray today?

Prayer: Open the eyes of my heart Lord, so I can be restored to the life that is mine to live. In Jesus Name, Amen