Restoring and Rebuilding – Week One

Years ago, I needed a project, and I knew the perfect one! In the basement, I had stashed this great little chair – comfortable and the ideal size for my bedroom. But it was covered in old, ugly pink fabric. While I am sure it had it’s prime at some point, even then I don’t think it was the most stylish.

Excited to jump into the process, I researched Pinterest (of course), selected a bold fabric, and got to work. Along the way, I quickly found out the most difficult, time-intensive step of the renovation process was removing the old material. I spent hours and hours pulling out staple after staple and unwinding the layers of old fabric.

Eventually, I reduced the chair down to an empty wooden structure. Now I was ready for what I considered to be the fun part – dressing this chair for the modern age.

Other then the math (which I never love), the recovering phase was simple. But without the removal phase, the new fabric would never fit properly. While I could have placed it over top of the old, that certainly would not have accomplished the desired look, and in the long run, it would wear out more quickly.

Today, I want to point you to one of the greats of the Old Testament. As king, Hezekiah led God’s people through the process of restoration and recovery. For the first time in generations, the nation worshiped God and experienced the joy of His presence (2 Chronicles 29:26)

The Bible summarizes Hezekiah’s life, “He did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.” (2 Chronicles 29:2 NASB) Though Hezekiah lived in a different time with a much different assignment than we have been entrusted with, he accomplished the one thing that matters – he did right in God’s eyes. As followers of God, most of us long for this same approval. At the end of our lives, we want to hear the words Jesus challenged us with, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23 NIV)

Hezekiah’s faithfulness to God makes a deep impression on me because he lived against the tide. In contrast, Ahaz, the king before him, and Manasseh, the king after, were known for doing evil in the eyes of God. As a twenty-five year old, Hezekiah was thrust into ruling a nation far from God. While they had every opportunity to fulfill God’s purpose, they had turned their back on Him. God’s house was shut, and His Word was ignored.

One might say that Hezekiah had an impossible task before him. But he did not see it that way. The Bible tells us in the first month of his reign, Hezekiah began the work of restoration. The doors of the house of God opened, and the priest and temple workers gathered together. King Hezekiah charged them with a rallying speech, “Consecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers, and carry the uncleanness out from the holy place.” (2 Chronicles 29:5)

Fulfilling the purpose of God always begins with a heart turned toward Him.

It doesn’t matter what a mess our nation, our family, or our own lives are in. There is no person, no project, no organization that God cannot redeem. But often, we skip over the critical step of consecration. We want to skip straight to the new season. We want to experience renewal. But a genuine move of God always begins with restoration.

Remember my chair project? Restoration begins with cleaning up. You cannot skip this step and still have the same results. Before Hezekiah could lead the nation in worship, he had to guide them in removing the uncleanliness from the house of God and from their hearts.

In the same way, if you want to fulfill God’s purpose, you must do the hard work of consecration. Remove the old and clear the way for a new work of God.

Don’t skip the hard part. Without that work, you will never see the fullness of God and experience all He wants to show you. And all He wants to do in and through you.

Slow down. Seek Him. Listen. Address issues. Confess sin. Turn back.

And get ready for God to move.