Have you ever tried to restore an old piece of furniture? It's not an easy task. Perhaps you had this piece of furniture in your family for a while and it had sentimental value. Or maybe you saw it in an antique store and you could sense the beauty underneath. Whatever the case was, you didn't think this item should be thrown away that it had some value and was worth saving.
Did you know God feels that way about us?
He wants to restore us. We are of value to Him. Even in our sin He knows there is beauty underneath. We are worth saving! This is the reason He sent Jesus Christ to restore us.
However, the restoration process doesn't come easily. You've got to scrub away the dirt. Simply trying to cover up the dirt won't work. This is true whether you're restoring furniture or yourself.
The good news is that while restoring furniture requires a lot of elbow grease - when it comes to personal restoration God does all the work.
According to Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary, in reference to 1 Peter 5:10, "The perfecting, establishing, strengthening, and settling, of good people in grace, and their perseverance therein, is so difficult a work, that only the God of all grace can accomplish it; and therefore he is earnestly to be sought unto by continual prayer, and dependence upon his promises."
Personal restoration isn't something we can do on our own. No matter how hard we try. We must rely on God. He created us. He knows us inside and out. He knows how to clean us and through Jesus Christ, we become whiter than snow.
I know many people claim Jeremiah 29:11 as their life verse and it is truly a powerful verse. However, if you stop there, you are truly missing an incredible truth. It goes on to say
The key is to seek the Lord. Seek Him with all your heart. He is your shepherd. He will restore you.