A Longing For Things To Be Restored
by Rob Loughery
I recently spent some time catching up with a few guys I played college football with nearly 35 years ago. We were reminiscing and “trying to recapture a little of the glory,” as Springsteen’s “Glory Days” so accurately suggests. It’s interesting to me, as I think all of us, no matter our age or experience, have this inner desire to recapture the good ole days of the past. Whether our memories are correct in how glorious the past was, I believe our hearts are deeply wired to a longing for things to be restored or redeemed to the glory that they once were. We desire to see what is broken, fixed; what is old and tired, renewed. This goes much deeper than the glory days of high school or college; it goes to the original glory of Creation, the longing to see the fallen world, redeemed and restored.
The apostle Paul captures the essence of this longing in Romans 8:19-25 when he writes, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed…the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves…groan inwardly, as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” What Paul is saying is that creation knows, and we know, too, that some time, and we hope sooner than later, things will be redeemed, restored to the way it was meant to be – back to the glory days. We all, including creation, groan inwardly for this restoration. There was paradise and it was lost. We want it back again. I believe that is what is woven in the fabric of our hearts. That is a longing we all deeply crave.
Think about the great fairy tales and Disney movies. Being a father of three daughters, I have watched and read my share of them. How do they begin? “Once upon a time….” The once upon a time was a glorious past, a time when things were right and good. In every tale like these, unfortunately, some tragic event takes place that dismantles the fairy tale beginning. Someone opposed to that good story seeks to destroy that beautiful setting. The princess is locked up in the castle and a spell is cast upon her or the prince is turned into a beast and his kingdom is invaded. Something terrible happens that disrupts paradise and the good ole days aren't so good anymore…paradise is lost. The characters in these tales long for things to be as they once were, they long for the glory of the past to be restored. They await a hero to rescue them. Sound familiar?
I love the way Genesis 1 and John 1 start: “In the beginning…” Just like “Once upon a time…” We know that in the beginning it was good. God said so. He was pleased. This isn’t a fairy tale, however. It’s a true story. Once upon a time we lived in community with Him - in community
with creation and with one another. Yet, we don't even get out of the third chapter of the story before a spell is cast, a kingdom invaded and a community divided. You see my point: it’s Genesis 1 and 2 that we long for, not our days from high school or college or the nostalgia of 1950’s or 1980’s. That’s what creation, as Paul notes in Romans 8, is groaning for, too. It is what we ‘groan inwardly’ for, as well. It’s written in our hearts; it’s the larger story we live in.
The writer of Ecclesiastes illustrates this point precisely. You see this longing - the groaning - is written in our hearts from the beginning of time: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done for them from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) Each and every one of us knows…we just can’t quite put our finger on it. We sense, deep down inside, that something is just not right, that there must be something more. We can faintly recall this long ago past. It’s what we inherently want because we know we were made for more, for something better.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we know that we can have what was lost and broken, redeemed and restored. We know that what awaits us is not only a new life in Christ, but a new paradise where we will live in authentic community with Him for eternity. A life the way God intended it to be. This is true. It’s not a fairy tale. This is the promise of His story: a restored Kingdom, “on earth as it is in Heaven.” “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them…. there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev 21:3-4) This is the story that each and everyone us live in. As believers we know this promise to be true: “I am making everything new!” (Rev 21:5) But, what about now, we ask.
God invites us in the present moment to be part of the redemption of this world. We don’t need to sit it out reminiscing about the glory days, passively waiting for it to come back. In fact, we must act as though it depends on us. Through the power of the Gospel, God calls us to keep in motion His perfect plan to redeem the world. God has given us the resources and the talents to renew, rebuild and restore community, including the physical (creation), the relational (people) and the spiritual (faith) elements. He has invited us to be part of this great mission and it is up to us to invest our time, talents and resources to advance His Kingdom here on earth.
I really don't think we fully understand or grasp that we have this authority and the resources from Him to do these works. I feel most of us think that this type of ability is reserved for the famous characters in the Bible and not for you and me. But recall the story in Luke about the seventy-two whom Jesus sent out on a mission. They weren’t exactly a heavenly host of angels
or the next twelve draft picks to be disciples. They were just “seventy-two others.” I would guess, a lot like you and me. When they return to Jesus after their work in the fields, they were filled with “joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’” (Luke 10:17) Look at what they were able to accomplish. Jesus rejoiced, too, because He knew what those who follow and abide in Him were capable to accomplish: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” (Luke 10:18-20) Boy, were they surprised. And I think Jesus was, too. Surprised in the sense that He witnessed what His Father was up to: “At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, ‘I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” (Luke 10:21)
Luke notes that Jesus was filled with joy at what He saw and then records these words from Jesus: “Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.” (Luke 10:21) Now, please don’t read that line of scripture and hear it as coming from the mild-mannered Jesus you remember pictured in those colorful Sunday school workbooks you used as a child. Rather, read that with the same type of emphasis while picturing an NFL player doing a dance in the end zone after he just scored a touchdown. You see it pleased the Father that this was part of His plan and it was revealed to everyone in attendance that day, which was probably a lot more than twelve plus seventy-two. Jesus, who is stoked about what just happened, turns to the side (think end zone dance) and privately expresses his joy to the twelve disciples, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (Luke 10:23) In other words, the power and authority that prophets and kings throughout the centuries wanted to have and see on display was finally here. That’s a lot of power we are armed with…are we making a difference with it for His kingdom?
If we invest our time, talents and our resources, we can have that type of impact too. We are called to be part of God’s redemptive plan. We are called to use and invest the resources God has blessed and provided us with to fix what is broken and redeem what has been lost. It is only through the power of the resurrected King that we have this ability, for He alone has conquered sin and death. These tasks are not reserved for only missionaries, ministries and pastors. As faith-based investors and businesses, we have a critical role to play just like the seventy-two. We must for much is at stake and we know, that in the end, we live happily ever after.
Nehemiah Development Company is a faith driven, PA real estate developer that’s deeply aligned with the Faith Driven movement as we “build redemptive community by renewing and restoring the physical, spiritual, and relational aspects of community that God desires and intended for us to dwell in”. We’re also 4th Soil Investments, the funds that back the projects, “Real Estate Investing for Financial Returns with a Kingdom Impact”.