“They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Strangers will shepherd your flocks;  foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.  And you will be called priests of the Lord,    you will be named ministers of our God.  You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.” (Isaiah 61:4-6)

I have often heard people say “I wish I could have what I once had.”  The say this as if what they had in the past was so incredible and glorious.

Yet in that place they are remembering and wish to be, there was nothing but turmoil, misery and depression.

But because we cannot imagine a better tomorrow and because the present is so tortuous and unpredictable, we piece together parts of our past where we saw even a brief glimpse of happiness and try to form a puzzle that is glorious, yet not true.

If you continue in your sins then for all of eternity you will live in this regret, longing for the brief moments of joy that you experienced but are now long past, and in eternity these regrets will be forever.

When I consider the above verse, I see an image of what God wants to do in families and communities.  He wants to revive them to be what they were supposed to be for all of time–a community of individuals blessed by the mighty hand of God and not surrendered to the torrents of misery and depression because of sin.

He does not want to give you brief moments of joy.  He wants you to live in joy every day.

When the spirit of Christ is in you there is warmth of peace and joy that enters into your heart and stays and doesn’t leave because of life’s storms.  Yes, the storms do come but the spirit of God in you helps you to walk on the troubled waters of your life.

There may be a literal renewal of cities that takes place when hearts are revived to God.  But, for me this renewal of generations is a restoration of families of God into the earth, where people can be nurtured and loved in homes and in towns and communities where each looks out for their neighbor empowered by the Spirit of God.

This is ideal I know but when the transformation of our nations comes we will see this with our eyes.  People will be filled with the glory of God and they will worship at His feet.  They will desire His spirit within them and His Spirit will restore all joy and peace into their lives and into their communities.  It will be like the Kingdom of God is on earth.

Please pray with me today toward this end.  I believe this is what God is about to do in the earth.