Restoration and Recovery 2-15-07

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are good, Lord. And You are good to me. I come to You now in these first moments of the morning, seeking the goodness of Your grace and the glory of Your face. I watch and wait now, in the silence of surrender, for the leading of Your Spirit. ... "Thus says the Lord: In this place of which you say, 'It is a waste without human beings or animals,' in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without inhabitants, human or animal, there shall once more be heard the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord: 'Give thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!' For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the Lord" (Jeremiah 33:10-11). As my wife Tricia was saying last night, these are as the days of Jeremiah. Since the fall of creation, devastation and destruction have come upon the earth and its people throughout the generations from our choices of rebellion against Your ways and resistance of Your grace. Yet throughout the generations, You have never wavered in Your love and Your call to repentance and faith. You have never wavered in Your promise of restoration for the people and the land of all Your creation. Destruction may come, but so does restoration. Judgment may come, but so does mercy. All that has happened and all that will happen to the people and the land of Israel teaches us Your heart and Your ways. "These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the end of the ages have come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). As we turn to You and call on Your name in desperation from the destruction of creation "with eager longing," O God restore, O God heal (Romans 8:19-21). Free us from the forces of desolation. Let the voice of gladness and the songs of praise be heard again in Israel and throughout the lands of the earth. As You promised Israel, so You also promise all who are the children of Abraham by faith (Galatians 3:29). "I am going to bring it recovery and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against Me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against Me. And this city shall be to Me a name of joy, and praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them; they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it" (Jeremiah 33:6-9). Lord, I "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" (Psalm 122:6). And I pray for the peace of my soul, the soul of my city, and the souls of all the cities of the earth. Let the voice of Your prophets, the prays of Your intercessors, and the cries of Your watchmen go forth until our hearts turn to You in repentance, that Your heart may turn to us in restoration. "Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, to that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through His holy prophets" (Acts 3:19-21). Let the voice of the bride and the voice of our Bridegroom be heard again throughout the earth. "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come' " (Revelation 22:17). Come, Lord Jesus, come! In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we launch Celebrate Recovery tonight -- Thursday 2/15/07 at my home church, Centenary, in Lexington, Kentucky www.CRlex.com Please come if you can and pray for us if you can't. Each Thursday night, we will have a meal, worship, hear a teaching and testimony on recovery and healing in every area of life, have small group confidential discussion and sharing, and get to know one another at the Solid Rock Cafe. I'll be helping provide a pastoral presence at both Celebrate Recovery and our Alpha ministry on Thursday nights www.CentenaryLex.com . Tonight, I will be teaching on prayer at Alpha and most Thursday nights helping lead a small group called Breaking Free with my prayer partner, Dr. David Hager, at Celebrate Recovery. Please keep us in your prayers and spread the word if you are in our area. God bless you! Come to The Fountain! this Friday night 2/16 -- the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary. All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 To subscribe/unsubscribe, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Ministering the Healing Love of God ... Preparing the Way of the Lord." 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 www.messiah-ministries.org Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com .