Focal Passage: Isaiah 65:17-25
I love to watch restoration shows, like when an old Mustang is found in an old barn, ravaged by dust and rust, and is brought back to life with new paint, new interior and a rebuilt motor. I like the shows where an old downtown home that is suffering from peeling paint and rotting wood and overgrown landscape is turned into something of a showpiece with re-finished hardwood floors, newly painted walls, bright lighting and a manicured lawn. Even though you never saw the original pristine condition of that car or house, you can surely appreciate the level to which they had fallen, and marvel at the restorations that brought them back to life.
Similarly, the people of God in Isaiah’s day did not know from experience the pristine nature of God’s Edenic creation prior to the ravages of sin and death. However, they surely saw and felt the devastating effects of the fall in every way – in their personal lives, in their relationships with others and even in the very nature of creation itself. But God, through Isaiah, brought a message of hope. The suffering and pain they were experiencing in a world ravaged by sin would not last forever for God’s people. In fact, a day would come when God would make all things new.
When God finally restores His creation and makes all things new, there will never again be the pain and sorrow and suffering we have known because of sin and death. May we live faithfully today, by faith, trusting God who will make all things new!