GOD CAN RESTORE WHAT YOU LOST

Now, we are not to mess up our lives counting on God to set everything right when we return to Him, but the possibility that in His unfathomable ways God can choose to undo some of the damage we did in our days of ignorance should fill us with hope and peace.

There is a greatly comforting story in the book of 1st Samuel. David, who was living as a refugee in Philistia, came back from the battle front between the Israelites and the Philistines. His host, Achish king of Gath, had asked him to fight with his people against Israel but the other Philistine kings considered it a terrible idea and ordered that David be sent back to his station, Ziklag. On arriving there, he found the town looted and burnt. The families of he and his men had also been taken captive. The Bible records that:

“David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. … And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters” – 1 Samuel 30:4 & 6.

David had not only suffered huge physical and material loss but the loyalty of his men was in jeopardy. Was David to blame for what happened? I would say, “No!” He was obliged to do the bidding of the king who sheltered him and his forces when he fled King Saul’s murderous pursuit and that meant pressing every available man he had into service for him. Even if he had left some men to guard Ziklag, they may not have been able to repel the hordes that came to attack and their resistance would have led to a bloodbath. The absence of men meant rather that their families were carried away without any loss of lives. But David’s men were not thinking rationally because of the gravity of their loss.

I’m so glad that wasn’t the end of the story. The Bible states that, “David encouraged himself in the Lord his God” (verse 6) and inquired of Him what to do.

“And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.” – 1 Samuel 30:8

Although they were tired from their march from the battlefield and their grieving, the word of God came true. Through the help of an abandoned slave of one of the raiders, the following heartwarming account was recorded:

“15. And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company. 16. And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. 17. And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled. 18. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. 19. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.” – 1 Samuel 30:15-19

Through no fault of his, David lost everything but God helped him to recover all, nothing was missing. Halleluyah!

It gets better because God in His infinite mercy can also restore what we lost through our own fault. It’s up to Him to decide how and what to restore but His graciousness in this regard is amazing.

Using David as an example again, after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband, Uriah, God was so angry that He killed the child born from that affair (2 Samuel 12:13-19). But David comforted Bathsheba whom he had married after the earlier sins and she conceived again. The Bible said this of the child she bore:

“24. And David … called his name Solomon: and the Lord loved him. 25. And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord.” – 2 Samuel 12:24-25

God also chose Solomon to succeed his father, David, on the throne of Israel and to build a temple for His name (1 Chronicles 29:1).

Similarly, Manasseh, son of King Hezekiah who loved the Lord, was a very wicked king. He led Judah so far into idolatry and murder that God caused him to be deported to Babylon.

“9. So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel. 10. And the Lord spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken. 11. Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.” – 2 Chronicles 33:9-11

That would have been Manasseh’s tragic end but the Bible follows up with this astonishing account:

“12. And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13. And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.” – 2 Chronicles 33:12-13

Now, we are not to mess up our lives counting on God to set everything right when we return to Him, but the possibility that in His unfathomable ways God can choose to undo some of the damage we did in our days of ignorance should fill us with hope and peace.

This is what the Lord Jesus was talking about wnen He said:

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” – John 10:10

It is even more clear in this promise from the book of Joel:

“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.” – Joel 2:25

This is part of the redemption package we have received in Christ Jesus who has paid the debt for our sins on Calvary. When we surrender our lives to Him, we have God in our corner, so to say, and restoration is part of His purpose for us.

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” – 1 Peter 5:10 (ESV)

Is there something important that you have lost: your good name, your effectiveness in ministry, your closeness to God, wealth, health, a sibling, a friend, a parent, a job, a promotion …? Whatever it is and however the loss came about, would you like to pray about it? God can give you back what you lost or something comparable. In fact, He can even give you something much better and more fulfilling than that which you lost.

You may say this doesn’t apply to me. My spouse or dad or … is dead and can never be replaced. I would ask that you leave that to God. He can bring someone into your life, not to replace the one you hold dear, but to play the role they played in your life. He can also ease the pain and amplify the good memories you have of them, thus restoring joy and purpose to your life.

Why does God restore? Because He is kind and caring and in undoing what the enemy has done, He demonstrates His almighty power to us and to the world and draws us closer to Him.

That is why I love and serve Him. He is deeply concerned about us and will go to great lengths to heal and renew our bodies, our minds and our circumstances. Glory to His holy name!

Prayer:
As we open our hearts to you, Lord, visit us in Your mercy and restore the things we have lost to your own glory in Jesus’ name.
(Mention what you want God to restore and thank Him for it.)

❤️

Hope you were blessed by this post. Kindly share, if you will, anything that you lost and God restored to encourage others. Have a fruitful week ahead in Jesus’ name.

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The scriptures in this post are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible except where otherwise stated.
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English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers