In Part One, we talked about something a mentor taught me many years ago: when the enemy steals, or circumstances bring loss into your life, don’t simply accept that loss as the final chapter. Bring it before God, stand on His promises, follow His leading, and believe Him for restoration.
One of my favorite pictures of this is found in 1 Samuel 30. David and his men returned home to Ziklag and discovered that the Amalekites had attacked their city, burned it, and taken their wives, children, and possessions. Imagine returning home and finding virtually everything you treasured burned to the ground and gone.
The Bible says, “So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.” 1 Samuel 30:4 (NIV). David wasn’t pretending the loss didn’t hurt. Faith doesn’t mean denying pain. There are times when loss hurts so deeply that we need to cry, grieve, and bring our broken hearts before God.
But David didn’t stay there. Scripture says, “But David found strength in the LORD his God.” 1 Samuel 30:6 (NIV). Then David asked the Lord whether he should pursue those who had taken everything. God told him, “Pursue them… You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.” 1 Samuel 30:8 (NIV) David obeyed, and what happened next is remarkable: “David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken… Nothing was missing.” 1 Samuel 30:18–19 (NIV)
I love those words: David recovered everything. David didn’t recover everything by sitting in the ashes staring at what had been destroyed. He strengthened himself in the Lord, sought God for direction, and then acted upon what God told him. That’s an important lesson about restoration. Believing God for restoration doesn’t mean doing nothing. Sometimes God gives us wisdom, direction, opportunities, or practical steps that become part of His restoration process. Faith prays, but faith also listens and obeys.
Another beautiful example is the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 8. God had warned her through Elisha that a famine was coming, so she left her home and land for seven years. When she returned, she went to the king asking for her property back. The king investigated her situation and then commanded, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.” 2 Kings 8:6 (NIV) Think about that! She didn’t simply receive her property back. What had been lost during those years was restored as well.
Then consider Joseph. His brothers betrayed him, sold him into slavery, and robbed him of years with his family. Later he was falsely accused and imprisoned. Yet God never abandoned Joseph. Eventually, God elevated him to a position of extraordinary authority in Egypt.
Looking back, Joseph could say to his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.” Genesis 50:20 (NLT) Joseph didn’t call what happened to him good. Betrayal was still betrayal. Injustice was still injustice. But Joseph understood something important: what others intended for harm could not stop God’s plan for his life.
Sometimes restoration means God returns something that was lost. Sometimes He opens a completely different door. Sometimes He gives us something greater than what we originally had. And sometimes His restoration begins inside us—restoring our peace, joy, confidence, hope, and ability to trust again. And that’s why we shouldn’t dictate exactly how God must restore something. Our responsibility is to believe Him, pray, listen, obey, and remain expectant.
God says, “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.” Joel 2:25 (NIV) We cannot physically recover yesterday, but God can bring such fruitfulness into tomorrow that yesterday’s loss doesn’t determine the outcome of our lives.
So when something has been stolen from you, don’t spend the rest of your life staring backward. Strengthen yourself in the Lord as David did. Ask God what He wants you to do. Forgive where forgiveness is needed. Learn whatever wisdom needs to be learned. Then move forward believing that the God who restored Job, David, Joseph, and the Shunammite woman is still the God of restoration today.
Zechariah 9:12 (NIV) “Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.”
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for being my Redeemer and Restorer. I refuse to allow what I have lost to determine what I believe about my future. Where the enemy has stolen, where people have wronged me, or where circumstances have brought loss, help me strengthen myself in You. Give me wisdom to know what steps to take and faith to follow Your leading. I place what was lost into Your hands and believe You for restoration according to Your perfect wisdom and plan. Help me remain a prisoner of hope, always expecting Your goodness in the days ahead. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
