Restoration Reboot- Restoring the Passion

 

Conviction hit me this morning as I was reading through some of my past posts, especially the reboot of “The Air I Breathe”. Putting aside the words of the post, I asked how “have I slid back so far?” As I read the words that I wrote many years ago I see a passion, yet currently, I’m not living with that passion. I have yet again, become wrapped in a blanket of complacency. Jason and I switched churches this past year and our new pastor has been preaching a lot about blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). As Jesus went through Jericho and was in the crowds Bartimaeus passionately cried out to Him, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” When Jesus stopped, stood still, and called back to him, Bartimaeus threw off his cloak. I realized this morning that I have been wearing a cloak of complacency and I feel Jesus calling me to throw off the cloak and answer His question of what I want Him to do for me.  

There are many things I could ask Jesus to do – restore our nation, restore our finances, restore health, etc., but more than anything I want Jesus to restore my passion. I want to hear His voice more. I want to be in His presence more. I want to see a wave of His presence sweep this nation. I want His body to throw off the blankets of politics, Covid, and division, and to run to Jesus, sit at His feet, and watch Him do what He desires on this earth. I want to hear my marching orders and for Him to direct my steps.

Each year I pray for a word to define the upcoming year, and a couple of weeks ago I thought that word would have something to do with the events of the last two years. Instead, my word for 2022 is "PASSION". There have been prophetic voices calling 2022 “the year for you” and they have said it will be the “year of spoils” and reward. Those spoils only come from a passionate pursuit of God and a passionate pursuit to see His will done on earth as it is in Heaven. I pray that God not only restores my passion but the passion of His people. A passion to return to their first love, remembering all He has done for us, to rest in His embrace and to be His hands and feet to this lost and hurting world.