OWC 2026 Devotional | Week 1, Day 5

GOD, WHO ARE YOU? | GOD IS OUR RESTORER

Mary Magdalene was a devout follower of Jesus. There aren’t many Scriptures devoted to her, but the few that are, are power-packed.  

Read 

Luke 8:1-3 

John 19:23-25 

Mark 15:45-47 

Matthew 28:5-7 

John 20:1-18 

Mary had been healed and delivered by Jesus; she had seven demons inside of her. With that amount of terror and evil inside her body, her lucid moments must have been horrible. Her body must have been consumed by debilitating pain from the demons living inside of her. Her mind ravaged by despair, and her heart broken by the evil. I don’t know if many of us can come close to understanding her pain, desperation, and hopelessness. This is why her healing brought such devotion to Jesus. Had she known one moment of peace, of joy, or of purpose before Jesus? After her healing, all other scriptures describe her serving Jesus sacrificially and always as near to Jesus as possible. Even at the cross as He died, at the tomb in His death, and at the tomb for His resurrection, she couldn’t be kept away from Jesus. This is a beautiful picture of what our life looks like when God is our Restorer. A restorer is one who repairs what is broken, revives what has died, and returns what was lost to its rightful place. Jesus repaired, revived, and returned Mary’s body by delivering her from the demons, but just as important, He repaired, revived, and returned her soul. For some of us, we may never know full restoration in our bodies before we get to Heaven, but we can know full restoration in our souls. 

We are in no way being cheated of a miracle when our hearts or minds are restored before our bodies. 

The greatest miracles in my life have not been physical healing or financial provision, but rather the Lord repairing my heart after my choices had broken it, and reviving a desire for righteousness in me that I thought was dead, and returning purpose to my life that I thought was forever lost. When we’ve been restored, we can’t wait to follow Mary’s example and make the perfect exchange. As soon as He gave her life back to her, she gave her life back to Him. She stayed as close to Jesus as she could for the rest of His days on earth. She was one of the very few who had the strength to stay with Him throughout His crucifixion. She showed up first after His death just to be close to His body, only to learn His body wasn’t there, and she would get to be the first one to know it and proclaim it. Mary’s story teaches us that no life is too far damaged or destroyed for Christ to fully restore; He is our Restorer.  

• What have you believed about God as a Restorer? 

• What is God revealing to You about being your Restorer?