“They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations” Isaiah 61:4
“Your people will rebuild what has long been in ruins, building again on the old foundations. You will be known as the people who rebuilt the walls, who restored the ruined houses.” Isaiah 58:12
These passages from Isaiah 58 and 61 are a beautiful reminder of God’s promise to restore and renew his people. These passages are often used as a call to mission, and were certainly relevant to my last mission trip serving the Navajo women of New Mexico.
In Isaiah 61, we read that God’s people are called to “rebuild the ancient ruins” and “restore the places long devastated.” This is a call to restoration and renewal.
God is the master of restoring, renewing and making beautiful things out of brokenness. In fact He desires to restore and rebuild our lives so that we can be conduits of healing for others, for their communities, and ultimately be a blessing to the world.
The passage begins with God calling his people to “loose the bonds of injustice” and “untie the cords of the yoke.” This is a call to freedom, both physical and spiritual. God wants his people to be free from oppression (shame, doubt, hopelessness, sin, etc).
When we go out and share God’s love and redemptive power, we are helping to restore and renew his people. We are helping to bring about God’s kingdom on earth. And we are breaching the gaps of paradigms, culture and society.
In Isaiah 58, we read that God’s people are called to “rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.” This is a call to action. God wants his people to get involved and make a difference in the world. He wants them to be rebuilders and restorers.
At the end of August I had the opportunity of serving with 14 faithful and obedient women of God, who were willing to say YES and press on as they willingly showed up and lay themselves down preparing a space for the Navajo woman to encounter God in a personal way.
During the trip I felt God repeatedly reminding me of the words Repairer of the breach. The word breach according to the Hebrew means “a break”, or “a gap”.
I happen to love construction and building things with my hands. Many of you may agree with me that sometimes rebuilding something is twice as hard than starting to build something from scratch. Usually rebuilding and restoring requires much more time, effort, dedication and flexibility.
This team did that and much MORE! We fasted, prayed, cried, shared our stories among us and with the Navajos. We allowed God to heal us and served as instruments for God to begin healing their nation and breaching the gap between our cultures.
Through this experience we met some amazing Navajo women who have overcome incredible challenges. I was inspired by their strength and courage. They are strong and resilient.They have faced poverty, addiction, loss and hopelessness. During the trip we watch God transform their hearts and fill them with his love. We witnessed breakthroughs, reconciliations and we stood witness as God began the restoring and rebuilding process.
I am grateful for the opportunity to have gone on this mission trip. It was a humbling experience that taught more about God’s love and about how important it is for us to stand in the gap for others, as ministers of reconciliation.
What a great privilege to be able to be a part of repairing the breach! I am committed to sharing God’s love and redemptive power with others, and I hope that you will join me!
I believe that even the smallest act of love can make a difference in someone’s life.
So let’s all do our part!
Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for the Navajo woman, for God to continue to draw them towards HIS heart. Pray for peace and reconciliation among the Navajo nation. Pray for God to continue to restore and redeem women so they can become beacons of light in their community.
- Please pray for me as I lead another woman’s mission trip to Guatemala from Set 16-23. For the team to serve from their anointing of the Holy Spirit and for the Guatemalan woman to be receptive to the good news of the gospel and the love of Christ.
- Please pray for financial provision in my fundraiser. In the last two months I lost some of my monthly partners.
- Please pray about what is calling YOU to do next! Is HE calling YOU to intercede in prayer? Is HE calling YOU to GO? or is HE calling YOU to give?
Would you consider partnering with me in what God is doing in the mission field? A monthly contribution ($10, $15, $25 or more) will make a huge impact for God’s kingdom on earth.
