Day 32

Restoration

“Sometimes when you’re in a dark place, you think you’ve been buried—but you’ve actually been planted.”
— Christine Caine

“God will either give us what we ask or give us what we would have asked if we knew everything He knows.” Timothy Keller “Our old history ends with the cross; our new history begins with the resurrection.” Watchman Nee A thief has only one thing in mind—he wants to steal, slaughter, and destroy. But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect—life in its fullness until you overflow!

John 10:10, TPT

Audio readingRestorationAudio in preparation

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Many look back on their lives with deep regret, recalling wasted years, lost investments, broken relationships, poor decisions, painful conflicts, droughts, famines, health issues, and devastating catastrophes. And for many, the unrelenting question remains: “Can God restore what I have lost? Even in situations where I was not to blame, is restoration still possible?

Picking up from yesterday’s theme, Blessed to be a blessing, the story of Naomi came to mind. Naomi lived through a harsh famine in her homeland. The reality of lost crops, livestock and lives must have weighed heavily on her. In search of survival, her family left Bethlehem for Moab, leaving behind familiarity, loved ones, and roots that had grown deep.

But ten years later, Naomi had lost everything: her husband, her two sons, and likely the wealth and security they had tried to build in a foreign land. Such loss in such a short time left her feeling stripped and bitter, hence her plea to be called Mara instead of Naomi. She said it plainly:

I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.

Ruth 1:21

We still see such stories today: news of tragic deaths, serious health battles, business collapses, and relationships crumbling in unexpected ways. And we ask: How can God restore such losses? Will He bring back the very things or people we lost?

The truth is, restoration doesn't always look like a return to what once was. Sometimes, God restores by repositioning us for what He always intended, even if it looks different from what we envisioned.

In the book of Joel, the prophet calls the people to weep over massive destruction. A swarm of locusts had ravaged their land. The scene was bleak: dried-up fields, failed harvests, empty barns, dying animals, lifeless streams. But then, the tone shifts.

And the [threshing] floors shall be full of grain and the vats shall overflow with juice [of the grape] and oil. And I will restore or replace for you the years that the locust has eaten—the hopping locust, the stripping locust, and the crawling locust, My great army which I sent among you. And you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord, your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you. And My people shall never be put to shame.

Joel 2:24–26, AMPC

Notice that God didn’t just say He would restore the crops. They were promised restoration of the years. Time lost. Effort drained. Opportunities missed. And He was doing it by providing a new environment, one ripe for divine harvest. For this farming community, that meant rains, seed, and supernatural increase.

For us, it could mean resources, relationships, opportunities, and divine connections. God has a way of compressing time and effort, granting supernatural help so we recover more than we lost. Sometimes in less time than we expect.

Years ago, I shared the story of a prayer partner who built a house based on 1 Chronicles 14:1 (NLT):

Then King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar timber, and stonemasons and carpenters to build him a palace.

A doctor was in the audience that day, quietly holding onto that word. A week earlier, his father, on the verge of retirement, had been called with terrible news: their family home was on fire. It was a painful blow. Years of savings and effort, all gone in one moment.

But that word stirred something in his heart. If a teacher in a seemingly impossible financial situation could testify of divine provision as carpenters, masons, and timber literally sent to him, then his father’s case was not too difficult for God.

Six months later, that doctor returned to our prayer meeting with a picture of a new two-storey house; bigger and better than the first. People had donated materials and services freely. God not only restored what was lost but went beyond what they had imagined.

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us…

Ephesians 3:20, NIV

Yes, sometimes the exact thing lost is not returned, but what God gives in exchange is often far greater. Job’s children who passed away were not brought back to life, yet God gave him more children later. And because of Christ’s resurrection, we understand that death is not the end. His family would be reunited in eternity. In this light, even our deepest losses are not final when placed in God’s redemptive hands.

I also remember a woman I prayed with during one of our botanical garden prayer sessions. Her baby had died in the womb, and we had hoped for a miraculous reversal. But she lost the pregnancy. It was a painful season. Yet, sometime later, God gave her twins. She endured one loss, yet God gave her double in return.

God restores, but not always in the way we anticipate. God can restore what was lost, whether it came through our own failure, unexpected tragedy, or situations beyond our control. The means and measure are His alone to decide.

Restoration, by definition, is the act of returning someone or something to a former condition, place, or purpose, or repairing it so it returns to its original state. In this digital age, we've seen how a mistakenly deleted file can be restored with the right command, as though nothing had happened. And if a human-made system allows for that, how much more the One who created all things? Surely God is not less capable than the software we use daily.

Whether something was lost through error, negligence, disobedience, or pain, He is able to restore it. But there are conditions. Restoration often begins with repentance as we turn from our own way and return to His. We realign ourselves with His word, His truth, and His intent.

In the future, when you experience all these blessings and curses I have listed for you… if at that time you and your children return to the Lord your God, and if you obey with all your heart and all your soul all the commands I have given you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes…

Deuteronomy 30:1–3, NLT

Though Israel often wandered, whenever they turned back to God, restoration followed. Not always in the form they had hoped but always aligned with God’s original design for them. So it is with us.

God’s heart is to restore your marriage, health, calling, family, community, or nation, according to His divine blueprint. As long as things are out of alignment with that intent, there is room for divine restoration when we walk with Him.

It takes faith to stand on God’s promises, especially when all you've known is loss. But if our hearts are yielded and our posture is repentant, we can believe Him for personal, family, and even national restoration.

Yes indeed, it won’t be long now.” God’s Decree. “Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won’t be able to keep up. Everything will be happening at once—and everywhere you look, blessings! Blessings like wine pouring off the mountains and hills. I’ll make everything right again for my people Israel...

Amos 9:13–15, MSG

May you find strength in this promise. No matter how long your season of loss has lasted, the One who restores the years still reigns.