“For the time is coming when I will restore the fortunes of my people of Israel and Judah.”
There is always a time for the people of God. There is always a time of restoration and redemption in the works. As was the case for Israel and Judah, the Lord has a time for us when He restores our fortunes. This is because “no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love.” Although He may have allowed us to go through some trouble because of our sin, “he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow,” (Lamentations 3:31-33).
The enemy may have been allowed to steal something from us—our health, wealth, or happiness—but the Lord has a day planned when He restores to us what was stolen. When we finally decide to say: “Let us turn back to the Lord. Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say ‘We have sinned and rebelled,'” (Lamentations 3:40-42), then the Lord begins the process of restoring what has been stolen. When we finally decide to turn back from our selfish desires and willful determinations, the Lord shows compassion and helps us.
If this sounds like something you are going through, do not give up hope. Our God is loving and compassionate. “He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.” Indeed, He does not even “punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.”
His “unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.” After all, “The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him,” (Psalm 103:9-13).
Even in His discipline, the Lord is gracious and compassionate, because He is not ignorant of the pitiful state of our being in the world. “For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here,” (Psalm 103:14-16). The Lord takes all this into consideration in His dealings with us.
Take heart, then, for “the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him,” (Psalm 103:17).
By John Huisman, Friend of Bible League International
