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Restoration and Restitution

As we press on in faith, regardless of our unfavorable circumstances, God brings not only restoration but also restitution. In restoration, the God of Justice returns what we have lost. In restitution, the God of Justice compensates us for all the pain and suffering we have endured through our long season of loss.

The Shunammite woman in 2 Kings is a wonderful example of this double deliverance. The prophet Elisha warned her of a coming famine in Israel, and so she moved to a foreign country for seven years. When she returned she found her house and land had been taken over by others. She appealed to the king for justice. “So the king appointed a certain officer for her, saying, ‘Restore all that was hers’” (2 Kings 8:6 NKJV). She got her land and home back. That’s restoration!

But there’s a second half to verse 6: “and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land until now.” Others had unjustly confiscated her land in her absence and the king ordered them to pay her all the profits in full from the harvests of the seven years she was away. That’s restitution!

If you have been a victim of someone else’s abuse or fallen prey to the attack of the adversary, you are eligible for a settlement from the God of Justice that includes both a full restoration and compensation for lost time, emotional pain and suffering, lost inheritance, seasons of barrenness and fruitlessness due to spiritual drought, loss of finances, loss of a job or income due to an economic downturn, and even loss of joy and happiness. Your job is to make a claim.

Isaiah tells us that in his day, “No one calls for justice” (Isa. 59:4). But you can change that in your day by taking a stand like the persistent widow in Luke 18 and cry out for your vindication. God is calling you to get involved in your own restoration and restitution by lifting up your voice in a cry for justice.

Cry out to God for justice today. And while you’re waiting for the response, be resilient and press on regardless. Bounce!