Often, I have prayed for the Lord to restore something in my life. Whenever I have gone through a hard season or a broken relationship, my prayers automatically petition the Lord to restore my situation.
Whenever there is a loss, and you are going through the grieving process, and you hit the denial stage, you always want God to restore what was lost. Restoration is something that God does, but rebuilding is something He does even better.
Are you asking God to fix something instead of allowing Him to rebuild something better? Restoration is similar to remodeling something old and broken, but rebuilding is something better than it ever was. The Bible says we are born again and become a new creation.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come (2 Cor. 5:17). It is not just a restoration. Our lives are rebuilt into something new and better than we could ever imagine.
Asking God for restoration is very typical and a natural and strong desire. We have a picture in our mind of how things should be, how we want them to be and we ask God to restore the problem to fit our mental image. We want things back to how they were for all the trouble began and we pray and pray.
Over my years as a Christian I have learned that so many times God did not restore things as I prayed and asked him, but instead He built something new, which was better than I could ever imagine.
Restoration often has more to do with our desires and vision. A rebuild is about God’s desire and God’s idea. The prophet Isaiah so clearly said, “God’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts” (Isa. 55:8). I am not suggesting we should never ask God to restore something that was lost, but I am suggesting that we be open and trust the unseen and the unknown.
Faith is the substance of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). You can trust that God can rebuild your life. He can rebuild what was lost into something better than your dreams.
Restoration is like remodeling an old house. It looks better, but it is still a restored old house. A rebuild is when God takes a vacant lot and builds a beautiful and better place than anything you could have ever desired.
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Dr. Ray Self is the founder of Spirit Wind Ministries Inc. and the International College of Ministry. He holds a Doctorate in Christian Psychology and a Doctorate in Theology. He currently resides in Orlando, Florida. He is married to Dr. Christie Self and has three sons and a daughter. You can purchase Dr. Self’s books, Redeeming Your Past and Finding Your Promised Land and Hear His Voice, Be His Voice at Amazon.com.
James Lasher 
Abby Trivett 
