31. RESTORATION.

I first became a fully committed Christian fifty years ago everything was wonderful, I recognised God’s hand in every part of my life, I was riding the crest of the wave feeling very blessed. Then... On the 6th of April 1975, my husband John had the first of several heart attacks, each one taking its toll, not only on him, but on the rest of our family and friends, we had seven children, two girls and five boys. John was running his own Bricklaying business with a crew of about five men. We had our own Summerhill stone four bedroom home complete with swimming pool, B-B-Q area, double garage. and a nice garden in a good suburb of Christchurch, all this on a very low-interest Government loan. Everything had been going so well until the”Bombshell” hit. I couldn’t understand it, why did this have to happen to me? I prayed like never before for my husband’s life, and God graciously heard me, and answered my prayer, but there were certain conditions which had to be met. Still not understanding, back to our knees we went, I felt like Job, we hadn’t done anything wrong, we had been Faithful and really tried to do all that God required of us But things just kept getting worse. John had to give up his business, we had to sell-up, our lovely home and he had to find lighter work, It took thirteen years, a number of heart attacks, several visits to Cardiologists for Scans, X Rays etc. and thousands of pills, before He decided to accept the fact that He wasn’t the man he used to be These were the hardest years of my life. John was in and out of hospital, the children were aged from seven to eighteen years old. Not being able to drive, each day I had to get two buses to and from Princess Margaret hospital, then come home make the dinner for the next day, get the washing hung out, make the school lunches and do the normal house work. The children helped as much as they could, but they also had their homework and team sports to attend. Yes, they were hard years, and without God I could never have done it. I realise now, it was a test to prove my faithfulness not only to God, but to my husband and children as well. Some of our biggest tests come at times of trials. If I hadn’t passed that test, I wouldn’t be where I am today with God. Because John couldn’t do the heavy bricklaying any longer, the business ran its self into the ground, and after we paid all the bills which had accumulated over several years, and paid for the house we now have, we had $600 left to live on till we could get John on to the sickness allowance which took much longer than we anticipated. there were months of red-tape and hoops to jump through. In October 1988 John, our youngest son Simon and I shifted down here, to the house we now occupy. For the first year or so I cried everyday when I thought of the lovely home I had left to come to this. “Why, lord Why” was my daily prayer ”What have I done, please show me” There were no floor coverings or curtains, two fireplaces one at each end of the house, but no firewood. it was so cold I hated it. John spent half our money to buy an in-calf cow, but we had to wait three months for it to calve and for us to learn to milk the animal. (Sometimes God doesn’t reveal his hand, because we have to learn three very important lessons about God through experience, 1. His Love is trustworthy, He will be with us through every situation,‘and there were some doozies’. 2. He can He will and He did sustain and lift us out of many a tough hole in His good time, ie when the lesson was learned 3.We will always remember what God has done for us, and be able to pass it on to others ) in time things did improve but very slowly, John cultivated a vegetable garden, we bought some chickens, sheep and pigs. I sold door-to-door eggs, milk and cream, I also made and sold bread, butter and cheese, John reared, butchered, and sold the pork and with our sons put in a coal range which really helped to warm the place up in the winter. His heart attacks were getting more frequent and eventually he found he couldn’t do much even in the garden, also he didn’t want to be put into care, so we asked our eldest son Gerard who was a Medic in the Air Force in the North Island if he along with his family would consider coming down here to help us, which they did and have been here ever since, Its been great having them here I couldn’t have managed without Gerard, to help me with his sick dad. The other children helped when they could, but they were rearing families of their own mostly in other parts of the country. On the 31st of March 2016. The Lord called John home. My family have rallied round, looked after and helped me through the years of widowhood. And I thank God for each one of them. As far as restoration goes, I haven’t got as lovely a home as I had in Christchurch, But, my relationship with God is far, far greater than I could ever imagine and that would have been enough, but I have learned many more skills, I have more friends and deeper relationships, food we have reared and grown ourselves and a little rainy-day money in the bank, which never was the case in the city. I have no worries and am perfectly happy and best of all I have more quality time to spend with God while doing my writing. I am very very blessed, I want for nothing, yes, I am fully restored. I have given you the short version of what I have been through, (There’s a great deal more). To give you an understanding of God’s Restoration. Whatever life takes from you God can and will restore. He may not give you exactly what you want, or what you think you need, but He will give what’s best for you. Even though you fall under His corrective hand through disobedience, if you repent, He will reinstate you to a place of blessing. But, you say, “What about the time I’ve wasted, the opportunities I’ve squandered, and the mess I’ve made of my life? Sometimes I feel I’ve fallen so low, even God can’t reach me”. ‘Not so! There’s always hope with Jesus. The Bible says “Behold the Lord’s hand is not too short that he cannot save. Nor His ear heavy that he cannot hear”(Isaiah 59;1) God did that for me, and He will be only too happy to do it for you, if you stay faithful and trust Him. After wasting his inheritance, the Prodigal Son returned home penniless and embarrassed, all he wanted was three square meals a day and a servant’s job. But the moment he said “Forgive me,” His Father called for the best robe, the fattest calf the newest shoes and the ring of Sonship, restoring him to his rightful place as a member of the family. Now, if God would do that for those who lived under the law in the Old Testament. How much more will He do for those He has redeemed? So you can go to Him today with confidence knowing He is a God of restoration. In the book of 1 Samuel we read how the Amalekites swept down on David’s home- town and burned it to the ground and took their families captive,When David heard of this, he and his men wept bitterly, (God will allow you to weep and grieve for your loss, but only for a while) then they prayed, and God told them to pursue the enemy. When David and his men caught up with them, they not only got back what they had lost, but much more. For our God is not only a God of restoration, but one of abundance. You may think at this stage that you have waisted so much time, and feel a bit ashamed, but the God who created time made plenty of it. He said in..(Joel 2.25-26) I will restore to you the years the swarming Locust has eaten...the consuming locust...you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; and my people shall never be put to shame.” Notice the word plenty, when God blesses you it will not come from an eye-dropper or from a ration card, No! “His love has no limits, “His Grace has no measure, His power no boundary known to man. For out of the infinite riches of Jesus, He gives and gives, and gives again”(Old Hymn.) And He is still giving me. Ever since Adam and Eve “Blew it” in Eden, God’s desire and plan has been to restore to us all that we have lost. So come to Him today and let His restoration begin. Thank you for reading my take on God’s Word regarding Restoration, It has certainly shown it’s self true in my life, as I’m sure it will for you too if you allow Him to come into yours. Just praise His name and ask Him to show you the way, He will when you take the first step. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Phaline.