OCT. 3-4 – Restoring Our Community

Isaiah 58:12 And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.

Over the last year and a half, we have seen the cracks and brokenness of our society more than we have in a long time. God calls us to take action during the struggles that our cities and communities have had in this time. It is easy to sit on the sidelines and either ignore the struggles, to point fingers at others, to be angry, or to just run away. But God has called Christians to not only be a light on a hill that can’t be hidden, but to actually “repair the breach.” In our scripture, God is calling us as His people to participate in his kingdom-building process. We can’t ignore the plight of the downtrodden or the people who are different from us, but to rebuild the “ruins”, to look for the needs of our communities, families, and churches.

God’s call has always been active and not passive. Some people only hear the passive part, and they forget to take Jesus out in the world with them as they serve and lead others. Some Christians only preach salvation and forget that it is hard to hear the message of hope when your belly is empty and you don’t see hope in your life. It is passages like this and others in our prayer guide that point to our having to bring both the gospel of hope and outreach to help serve and uplift people. Our passage from Isaiah calls us to raise up the “foundations of many generations.” Jesus himself is our foundation. When we call on the Holy Spirit to help us with restoration, it will be successful because we will be focused on Jesus and not ourselves or our desires. It is through Him alone that true rebuilding will happen, and we will be partaking in a glorious Kingdom-building movement. 

Prayer:

Lord God, help us to rely on you to rebuild our communities. After such a year as we have had, help us to seek to ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in how we rebuild and who we seek to serve. Help us to focus first on you as the source of all restoration, both for our souls and for those around us. Gracious Spirit, move in your church to mobilize it in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen.