Build It Again—The God of Restoration

Introduction – Sarah Jane’s Story 

 In the Deep South, there was a little girl named Sarah Jane who saw beauty where others saw brokenness. She lived in what the world would call abject poverty—a one-room shanty with no electricity, no plumbing, just quilts dividing the space and a potbelly stove for warmth. But in her eyes, it was home. It was love. It was all she knew. 

Years later, when she was given a school project, she recreated her childhood home with popsicle sticks, twigs, and red dirt. It was her masterpiece—her world, her story, her heart poured into every tiny detail. 

Then, one day, a bully came. With one cruel shove, he knocked it all down. Her world lay shattered on the ground. 

Sarah Jane could have quit. She could have cried in defeat. But she remembered the words of her grandmother: 

 “A queen doesn’t bow to nobody, baby. She just builds again.” 

So she gathered the broken pieces, and in one week, she built again. And this time, it was even better than before. 

Genesis 1:1-2 – The First Destruction 

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep." 

Before the earth was formless and void, God had created it with beauty and purpose (Genesis 1:1). But then something happened. A bully showed up—the serpent, the enemy of God. Just like the bully in Sarah Jane’s story, the devil came to destroy. The once-perfect creation was left in chaos, empty and dark. 

Much like Sarah Jane standing over her ruined project, God looked upon the earth that was now formless and void. But He didn’t abandon it. He didn’t walk away in frustration. Instead, He spoke. 

The God Who Rebuilds 

For six days, God rebuilt what was broken. He took what was ruined and reshaped it. He turned darkness into light, disorder into beauty, and emptiness into abundance. 

💡 Day 1: Light broke through the darkness. 

 💡 Day 2: The heavens took form. 

 💡 Day 3: Land, seas, and vegetation appeared. 

 💡 Day 4: The sun, moon, and stars found their place. 

 💡 Day 5: The waters and skies filled with life. 

 💡 Day 6: Every creature and mankind was formed. 

 💡 Day 7: He rested in the completion of His masterpiece. 

What was once without form and void became more glorious than before because God is a God of restoration, not abandonment. 

God Will Rebuild Your Life 

Like Sarah Jane and like creation itself, some of us have had our world knocked over by the enemy. We built something with care, only to have the devil come in like a thief to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Maybe it was your family, your health, your dreams, your joy. 

But here’s the good news: God is still in the business of rebuilding. 

🔹 If your life feels formless and void, God is ready to speak order into your chaos. 

 🔹 If darkness has crept in, He is ready to say, "Let there be light." 

 🔹 If the enemy has knocked you down, God says, "Rise up! Build again!" 

Sarah Jane didn’t quit. She built again, and it was even more beautiful than before. And so did God. 

And so will you. 

Closing Thought 

The enemy may have knocked you down, but you serve a God who restores, who rebuilds, and who makes all things new (Revelation 21:5). If He could take a world that was void and make it into a paradise, imagine what He can do with your life. 

It’s time to pick up the pieces and build again. 

Because when God restores, He always makes it better than before.