Gifts of restoration and red roses is a theme that has been developing in my spirit for the past few weeks.
Early in the morning hours of June 6, 2023, Jeremiah 33:3 was quickened unto me.
“Call to Me [God], and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
God’s Gift of Promised Restoration.
During my devotion time as I pondered Jeremiah 33:3, I was reminded that God was speaking to His prophet Jeremiah of the promised restoration of Judah after 70 years of their challenging captivity in Babylon.
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Again there shall be heard in this place—of which you say, ‘It is desolate, without man and without beast’—in the cities of Judah, in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say:
‘Praise the Lord of hosts,
For the Lord is good,
For His mercy endures forever’—
and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,’ says the Lord.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In this place which is desolate, without man and without beast, and in all its cities, there shall again be a dwelling place of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the South, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks shall again pass under the hands of him who counts them,’ says the Lord.
“‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.’” (Jeremiah 33:10-14)
Those Who Wait Upon The Lord Shall Renew Their Strength.
Oh, ‘tis so hard at times to wait upon the Lord, isn’t it? However, there’s a definite promise delivered by the mouth of the prophet Isaiah,
“But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
This insightful instruction was not only intended for Old Testament Israel, but for all of us today as well.
Our faith, patience, and perseverance all grow as we wait upon the Lord and our strength is renewed.
The Lord Jesus Christ lovingly reminds us in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
When we are yoked to Jesus, we don’t bear the weight of our daily lives and trials alone. He walks every step with us to help lighten our load as we fully rely upon Him.
Jesus, our Shepherd, is our life-giving source of rest and restoration. (Psalm 23:3a)
Hallelujah, these are the days of our restoration!
The Horse Wearing The Blinders.
While watching the annual Belmont Stakes race recently, I noticed one of the horses wearing a set of black blinders.
The commentator mentioned this was the first time this particular horse was required to wear blinders, which was beyond obvious when observing him being led from his stall to the paddock.
Those irritating blinders help to cover the back and side vision of the horse which forces him to focus on what’s in front of him. Commensurate with the size of the blinders, the horse’s vision can be greatly diminished.
With the sights and sounds of over 50,000 spectators at a major event such as the Belmont, this can also be a huge distraction and may cause the horse to spook, especially as it emerges from its starting position.
Holy Spirit showed me a few days later that there can be times in our lives, especially if we’re easily distracted or constantly watching what others are doing, that we may have to wear the equivalent of some “horse blinders” to stay focused upon what the Lord is calling us to do.
As odd as it may seem, these blinders help to serve as part of the restoration process.
We can’t be fully restored if our thoughts, actions, and energies are going in a lot of different directions which were never intended for us in the first place.
An example would be that of a person, who already has an overflowing plate, volunteering for a time-consuming effort at his or her local church. While this might be necessary and timely, wisdom requires that we seek the Lord as to whether or not He’s calling us to help out in that regard.
Being over-extended negates the restoration process.
In addition, it might be helpful to analyze the positive and negative aspects, associations, and influences we are allowing into our bodies, souls, minds, and spirits so that we are not pulled in the wrong direction.
The Angel Holding The White Roses and Transparent Vase.
According to Hebrews 1:14, angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation.
Since June is National Rose Month, I marveled at the following vision I received.
An angel appeared before me holding a vial of heavenly-formulated liquid. As he dumped it into the transparent vase filled with a bouquet of white roses, I watched in amazement as the liquid floated to the top and it changed the white roses to red.
In prophetic symbolism, roses represent eternal love, the church, Jesus Christ, gifts, beauty, and relationships.
White roses symbolize innocence, purity, holiness, righteousness, and loyalty.
June is typically the height of the wedding season, so white roses are fast becoming one of the most favorite flowers to be included in the bride and groom’s special day.
The red rose typifies a first love, an only love, new love, true love, the giving of our heart to another, romance, courage, and beauty.
As Christians, we strive to live in purity, holiness, righteousness, and loyalty (the symbolism of the white roses).
However, there’s an important reminder to keep Jesus as our first love which is why I deem in the prophetic vision the color of the roses changed from white to red.
The Apostle John, while exiled on the island of Patmos, recorded one of Jesus’s vital instructions:
“‘To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,
‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’ (Revelation 2:1-7)
It’s much easier for Jesus to restore us if He remains our first love.
Prophetic Insights For Daily Living.
#1. When you call to God in prayer and wait expectantly for His answers, record the great and mighty things that He shows you that you do not know.
This will greatly encourage you, especially in the days ahead. God has great plans and purposes for our lives! (Jeremiah 29:11)
#2. Are you in need of restoration in any area of your life? Make a list of each specific one, and lift these before the Lord in prayer.
Plan to record the scriptures, songs that are downloaded to your spirit when you first awaken, and other revelations and directives you receive. These will help to serve as your “Restoration Road Map.”
#3. Upon receipt of God’s gift of restoration, a major clue lies in the first part of the word restoration which is rest.
Is it challenging for you to quiet yourself before the Lord and rest in Him?
What are some practical ways that you can do this?
When God seems silent, it doesn’t mean that He doesn’t care or isn’t working in your situation or circumstance.
As we rest, we wait and watch with great expectation to see what God will do.
#4. Just to inject a little humor into my prophetic blog post, do you consider yourself a person who might need to wear the equivalent of horse blinders even for just a short period of time?
If so, how would wearing these blinders assist you?
For the horse running the Belmont Stakes, he had to run the race set before him. We must do likewise as outlined in Hebrews 12:1, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” My February 25, 2022, prophetic blog post was an exhortation to never quit running our race. Here’s the link for some encouragement in this regard: https://sheilaeismann.com/run/
It’s important to keep in mind that the race you’re destined to run might not be the same as that of someone else.
#5. As a prophetic act, consider gifting Jesus a red rose during June to celebrate National Rose Month, but more importantly, to celebrate Him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and your first love. Pen a love letter to Him from your heart.
When we stay yoked with Jesus, it’s as if He delivers a gorgeous and fragrant bouquet of red roses every day.
May we continue to praise the Lord of hosts for His wonderful gift and promise of restoration in our lives! Let us never forget His goodness and mercy which endures forever as we bring the sacrifice of praise into His house each week.
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6)
Until the next message,
SFE (Sheila, Fellow Encourager)
Sheila F. Eismann, Prophetic Seer, Blogger, & Author, publishes her blog posts endeavoring to encourage others through God’s word. Her writings include instructions on how to apply prophetic insights for daily living.
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