I Will Restore
"I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten..." (Joel 2:25)
Our merciful God displays His lovingkindness towards us in so many ways, and here as well as many other places He shows how He knows about the loss and challenges we experience... and that He will move His right hand on our behalf towards restoration.
It matters not if you've had a small financial setback, or a very large one that feels at times like there is no way out - our God is bigger, has a greater love for you than you can fully know in this earthly life and simply is the Creator of all things. He is The One who is able to declare "Nothing is impossible for me"!
He is The One Who:
Sustained the widow and her two sons - read 2 Kings 4:1-7. By multiplying the scant oil they had, preventing the widow's two sons from being taken as slaves due to debt.
Sustained another widow and her son - in 1 Kings 17:8-16. Down to their last morsel, and God sent Elijah to them, providing for them until Lord again brought rain.
Fed the 5,000 - from Matthew 14, "We have nothing here but five loves and two fish... He gave thanks and blessed and handed the pieces to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. And they all ate and were satisfied."
Paid the taxes due from a fish - in Matthew 17:27, Jesus said "Go down to the sea and throw in a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth will find there a shekel. Take it and give it to them to pay the temple tax for Me and for yourself."
Restored the fortunes of Job - "The Lord restored the Fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before." (Job 42:10)
It is important to recognize that each miracle above was preceded by a step of faith:
The first widow had to borrow empty vessels from neighbors.
The second widow made a small cake for Elijah before preparing for herself and her son.
The disciples carried out the instructions from Jesus, holding just five loaves and two fish.
Peter went to the sea, throwing in the hook, following what he was told by Jesus.
Job endured in his faith in God, and forgave and prayed for his friends who had blamed him.
In walking through your season of challenge, in addition to doing the proper practical things with your finances, be listening for the voice of the Lord in what He is saying to you... to step out in faith in an area. It may seem unrelated to your circumstance, it may feel unreasonable, it may seem contrary to what you think should be done. Ask yourself if the steps of faith carried out in the examples above were what those people thought should be done at the time.
I have heard of testimonies of others who have simply carried out seemingly unrelated acts of obedience to God, and seen miraculous answers by the Lord to their areas of need - unexpected raises, jobs, promotions, finances and gifts coming out the blue.
As it relates to being free of debt, and our opening verse of God restoring from Joel 2:25, I can share from our own experience and those testimonies given to us by others that the Lord has restored those years that the locust has eaten. That the fruitless years of paying interest and monthly payments to creditors has been replaced with years of recognizing God's care, faithfulness and wisdom.
To close, know that in this time you are not alone. The Lord God is with you always and closely knows what you are going through, He does not sleep or relax in His care for you and He states in Joshua 1:5 - "I will be with you. I will not abandon you. I will not leave you."
God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,
Paul
