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Today's Verse
"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." — Acts 3:19 NKJVDevotion
In our verse for today the Apostle Peter makes use of the term"times of refreshing." In a later verse, however, he makes use of the term"times of the restoration of all things." (Acts 3:21) The latter term refers to the times when Jesus comes to the earth for the second time and everything changes for the better. It refers to the times when the Lord makes all things new, the times when the new heaven and the new earth supplant the first heaven and the first earth, and the times when the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven to the earth. (Revelation 21:1-5)Obviously, these glorious times have not yet come to pass. Does this mean that true believers must wait for those times before any real restoration happens? According to our verse for today, the answer is"No." In between Jesus Christ's first coming and his second coming are the"times of refreshing." What are they? They are the times when God refreshes His children with respite and rest from the hard times that can still be experienced in the present life. They are the times when God refreshes His Children with deliverance and release from evils of every kind.
Already in this life, in other words, believers are given a sense of what life will be like in the new heaven and the new earth. For example, although the destructiveness of sin is still causing a lot of problems, there is also restoration from the effects of sin. Although there is still a lot of sickness and disease, there is also healing from sickness and disease. Although demons can still cause trouble, there is also deliverance from demons. Although persecution is still around, it can also be stopped or lessened.
In summary, the Lord sends from His presence all sorts of refreshment, rest, and deliverance from evils of every shape and form. God sees to it, one might say, that we have what we need to make it through the present era with all of its sin and misery to the times of the restoration of all things.