I stated in a previous article that God is in the business of restoring people. He restores broken relationships and broken lives. Restoration is part of God’s grace.
As I was reading one of the psalms, God showed me four characteristics of a restored heart. That is, what someone who has been restored look like. Let’s discover these characteristics together (or you can watch the video if you don’t want to read).
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.– Psalm 145:14-21 (ESV)
Verse 14 describes the general tone and theme for the verse that follow: they describe a person who needs and desires restoration. In this passage, the psalmist outlines four characteristics of restored heart: seeking, calling, praising, and proclaiming.
A Restored Heart Seeks God (vv. 15, 19-20)
The psalmist describes seeking God in three ways:
- “look to him” (v. 15) – that is, desiring God and turning to him
- “those who fear him” (v. 19) – this means to humbly submit to God
- “all who love him” (v. 20) – that is, to have a passion for God and to long after him
A restored heart will turn to God because the individual desires God’s person, presence, and provision. Do you seek God?
A Restored Heart Calls on God (v. 18)
Because a restored heart seeks God, it will also call out to God for help. The psalmist twice mentions calling on God in this verse. However, he also qualifies how we call on God: “call on him in truth” (v. 18b).
How do we do that?
In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He also said that he’s the doorway to God (John 10:1-10).
Thus, to call on God in truth means to call on him through faith in Jesus alone. A restored heart call out in faith, seek God’s help and presence, and will rest in God’s grace.
A Restored Heart Praises God (v. 21)
Not only does a restored heart desire God and call out to him, it will also praise God. In another article I talked about celebrating God’s grace and love. That’s the idea in verse 21.
Although the psalmist says, “speak the praise,” I’m absolutely certain he also shouted it, sang it, maybe even danced in praise (especially if David’s the author of this psalm, cf. 2 Sam 6:14).
Do we praise God for what he has done? Do we praise God simply for who he is? Do we praise God every day, or only on Sunday? Do we even praise God on Sunday?
A Restored Heart Proclaims God (v. 21)
You desire God. Good.
You call on him. Great.
You praise him often. Awesome.
Do you tell others about God? I hope so, because a restored heart proclaims to others who God is and what God has done.
The psalmist wrote, “let all flesh bless his holy name.” How will all flesh bless him unless all flesh knows who he is? How will they know unless they hear? How will they hear unless someone goes and tells them?
Do those questions sound familiar? They should because Paul wrote them in Romans 10:14-15.
A restored heart will make sure those around them know who Jesus is, what Jesus did at Calvary and the tomb, and what Jesus is doing in the lives of the restored person. The restored heart evangelizes.
Bringing It Home
We all have struggles and hardships we’re going through or have been through. Maybe you need restoration. Maybe you need God to fix a broken relationship with someone or even with God himself. Maybe you need God to fix a broken life. Turn to Jesus and call on him for help.
If you’ve been restored by God, then praise him for it and tell others. Let someone who is struggling know that God is there, that Jesus loves them, and share your story of restoration with them.
