Restored by Grace (Jeremiah 49:39)

But in the latter days, I’ll restore the fortunes of Elam, declares the Lord.
– Jeremiah 49:39

This is the last verse in Jeremiah 49. A chapter that’s filled, much like the chapters around it in the book of Jeremiah, with judgment from God on different nations. And there’s a lot we could pray through based on how God judges nations who boast in their treasures and who take pride in themselves. Jeremiah 49:16 is such a potent verse. Though you make your nest as high as the eagles. I will bring you down from there, declares the Lord. Just a reminder to pray for humility. And to realize that God is the one who raises up and God is the one who brings down.

Jeremiah 49:39 teaches us God is Judge and Restorer.

But the reason I want to lead us to pray according to the last verse, verse 39… This is because, after all these verses about judgment, we read: But in the latter days, I will restore the fortunes of Elam, declares the Lord. So God is judge and restorer. And it’s this picture of God as restorer that I want to encourage you with today. And encourage you to press in to him and pray accordingly for his restoration.

When you think about things in your life or your family… People around you, circumstances around you that are broken in different ways or just more broadly in the world… We pray to the God who has power to restore that which is broken. And I just want to lead us to praise specifically for restoration of things in our lives of people around us and of things in the world, and you know more specific things that might come to your mind.

And so I want to encourage you to bring those things before the Lord right now. I’ll try to pray generally in a way that would encapsulate many of those things. But let’s just think right now. In what ways might we might ask God to do his restoring work? Then let’s pray accordingly.

Jeremiah 49:39 gives us the confidence to ask God for restoration.

God, we praise you for your power to restore that which is broken and we think of so much in our lives and our families and our world that is broken.

God, we pray for restoration of people’s relationship with you that is broken. We think about people who have wandered from you, who are not walking with you, who once walked with you. God, we pray for restoration of their hearts before you, restoration of their relationship with you. God, please restore the intimacy, the relationship they once had with you. Lord, we pray that if that’s true in any of our lives, you would bring about that restoration.

God, we pray for restoration of friendships, family, relationships that have been broken. God, please bring about the miracle of restoration and the relationships that are coming to our minds right now. Lord, we think about how our bodies are broken in different ways and in need of healing physically, mentally, emotionally. God, we pray for restoration of physical health, of mental health, of emotional health. God, we praise you as the one who is Lord over our minds and bodies and emotions who can bring restoration. We pray for that restoration.

This verse leads us to pray for restoration in the church and among the nations.

God, we pray for brokenness in the body of Christ in this world for divisions among your people. God, we pray, please restore that which is broken, and God, we pray in a broader way just for the brokenness around us that we see in the world, God please bring restoration. We think of wars in the world.

God, we pray for restoration of peace. God, you alone have power to restore and we praise you for your power to restore, and we pray that you would show your power to restore. We praise you when we think about the whole of scripture and how sin by Genesis three had brought such brokenness in the world, and we praise you for where this world is going and for the restoration, you’re one day going to bring about an end to all sin and suffering and death for all who trust in Jesus.

Jesus, we praise you as the apex, the climax of this worldwide plan of a restoration who makes it all possible through your life and death and resurrection from the grave, your ascension to heaven, and your promise to return. God, we pray for people who have never heard the good news of the restoration from sin and suffering and death that you can bring.

Prayer for the Kacchi People

Lord, we pray specifically today for the Kacchi people of India who have then migrated to places in Africa like Malawi, Kenya, and Tanzania. God, for this people group of 175,000 or so people please God, restore them to yourself. Please bring the gospel to them. Bring salvation to them. We pray, oh God, we praise you for your power to restore and we pray that you would show that power for your glory and our and others’ good. In Jesus’ name, we pray according to Jeremiah 49:39. Amen.