Restoration shows are my favorite type of video to watch. I just love watching the old restored to something new looking. It doesn’t matter if it is a house, a piece of furniture, or a car, I find the contrast fascinating.
Nehemiah led the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem. It had been down for 140 years and as the people joined together, they were able to rebuild it in fifty-two days. Too bad we can’t see before and after pictures of the wall.
Contrast of the Old Wall and the Restored Wall
When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he took a ride around the outside of the wall to personally assess the damage.
Details of that first trip include:
- Only Nehemiah and few others
- Done privately – no one else knew about it
- It was quiet
- Not room for a donkey
Contrast that first ride of Nehemiah with the trip around the wall during the Dedication:
- Leaders and people of the city
- People from surrounding towns joined them
- The joy of the people of Jerusalem could be heard far away
- Hundreds of people marched on top of the wall.
God Can Restore Your Old Life
After seeing the physical restoration of the wall, we can understand why the people praised God. He had empowered the impossible. It is easy to understand the restoration of physical objects, but God can also restore us emotionally and spiritually. Paul gives us insight to this.
2 Corinthians 5:14b Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.[1] Open yourself up to God’s restoration through Jesus Christ. It is a free gift you only need to receive. The old restored to new. To hear more:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/rebuilding-unfinished-hope-wall-finished
[1] Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.