Restoration Prayer

I just finished reading the book of Job… what a journey! It was a miserable read, so I can’t imagine what it was like to actually be there. Job was severely afflicted to put it lightly. His friends were convinced that it was because he had hidden sins that this entire calamity was upon him. Job kept telling them he had not turned from God, but they still gave him an earful on what he needed to do.

Job was not much better. He seemed convinced that he knew all about God’s intentions – and he really didn’t speak very highly of His intentions. He lamented and cursed the day of his birth. Losing his children, his possessions, and his health, he was in constant agony and his mouth let everyone around know about it!

To make a long book short, God finally came to Job and actually spoke to him through the wind. God speaking directly to man with His voice doesn’t happen all the time in the Bible, so it’s more than important to pay attention to what He says. After reminding Job exactly how great He is and how small Job is, Job repents before the Lord and agrees that he is no one to question God. God then gives him some simple instructions.

His friends who had accused him and spoken falsely on God’s behalf were instructed by God to go Job. Job was to pray to God for his friends, and they would not be recompensed as they deserved for their actions. His friends came to him and he prayed for them.

In Job 42:10, it says:

When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!

What an ending to a story! We all go through hard times, and we all have our share of miseries. Complaining and questioning God really gets us nowhere, as it did with Job. In a book of misery, I finally saw progress and hope in the last few chapters. Here’s what happened:

• Job saw God for who He was. He remembered that God is great and he is small. He realized that God’s ways are much higher than his ways.

• Job repented before God for all of his complaining, questioning, and mislabeling God’s intentions.

• Job prayed for others who had severely betrayed him in his time of need.

After these things, the Lord restored to Job twice as what he had before. When we are feeling pretty miserable with our life, maybe we can use this story of Job to remind us how to have restoration.

Restoration Prayer

Mighty God, You are more wonderful than my mind can comprehend. You made the heavens and the seas. You made every species known to man in all their intricacies, and You formed me in my mother’s womb. You are the beginning and the end, and in You there is life eternal. You are wise beyond measure, and my limited knowledge is as a raindrop in the ocean of your wisdom. I repent and ask for Your forgiveness for when I have complained against You or questioned Your ways. Your thoughts toward me are good and I know You have good plans for my future. I pray right now for those who have hurt me. I know that I have hurt You and still You offer me forgiveness. I pray that those who have hurt me will receive Your forgiveness and that they would be fully restored to You. I pray for Your blessings on my life and that I will live a long, full life in You!

* This may be a prayer that some of us need to pray every day for a while! We want God to work in our hearts and lives long after today is gone :).