Restore
There is a song on my last record called 7x70. I wrote it about growing up in a broken home and working through the forgiveness and healing. While I was out touring, I kept having people come up and tell me how much this song meant to them. Many of the stories were about a husband and wife not giving up on their marriage. I was so encouraged every time someone would tell me this. Not because it was a song that I had written that helped them, but to know that people are really leaning on God to restore them in a time of need. After hearing this over and over I knew I wanted to write a song about it. That’s how Restore started. I kept thinking about how our society makes it so easy to just quit. I’ve seen billboards advertising quick and cheap divorces. I’m sure some people are starting to wonder, what is the point of committing considering it seems like most marriages don’t work out in the end. This is why I felt like this song had to be on this record. We need to be reminded that God wants to heal us. He wants us to fight for it and not to give up. The enemy is going to try and divide up the family. He’s going to use our weaknesses. He will make it seem like there is no way we could ever fix what went wrong. The good news is that God is bigger than our weaknesses and He can heal even the most broken heart. So in a time when it feels like nobody is growing old together, put Jesus in the middle. He will restore.
Lyrics:
Nobody's growing old together, we've made it easy just to quit
Love has become a negative percentage, why do we bother to commit
We've got a long list of excuses, ways we try to justify
Well, I propose to you the truth is, marriage does not have to die
CHORUS
I know you're feeling like it’s falling apart and it can't go on anymore
But God is a God who knows how to heal so just give it up to the Lord
And He will restore
He said with this ring I promise, and with I do she said forever
But right now if they're being honest they don't know if they'll stay together
Let's fast forward to the future after struggling on their own
They finally figured out they needed Jesus in the middle
Now I'm watching God rebuild their home
CHORUS
The enemy tries to come and divide
Trying to get us to give up the fight
But darkness will always lose out to light
'Cause we've got the power of Christ on our side
I see you growing old together
I pray I find a love like yours
So if you're feeling like it’s falling apart and it can't go on anymore
God is a God who knows how to heal so just give it up to the Lord
And He will restore
Like it was before
You may have strayed off course
But He will restore
(Chris August / Ian Eskelin)
This song has such a message and offers so much hope, especially for me. As a child from a broken home, there is always the question in your mind of whether or not history will repeat itself. Plus you see the crumbling marriages of others and it makes you wonder. However, in my life I have great hope because I know that Jesus will be there to guide me if and when I ever get married ( if that is His will for my life). I want to be more than another statistic, so I am trying to live my life in such a way as to honor God and my future husband now and forever.
Chris- thanks for writing a song that gives hope to people who are around our age that are wondering about whether marriages will last. If He is the center, any marriage can survive and thrive!
Kate