Everything You Lost Returned

Zechariah 9:11-12(MSG)
“And you, because of my blood covenant with you, I’ll release your prisoners from their hopeless cells. Come home, hope-filled prisoners! This very day I’m declaring a double bonus—everything you lost returned twice-over!”

The passage in Zechariah 9:11-13 is truly a source of hope for God’s people. It is a tremendous indication of His mercy and grace. During Old Testament times, God chose the Israelites as His special people. It wasn’t because they were so special, it was to demonstrate for all of us what His favor looks like. He had given them His law, but repeatedly, they chose to follow their own way instead of God’s way. Zechariah 9:11-13 shows us His unconditional love and mercy. Because of God’s covenant with Abraham, He promised to protect and provide for the Israelites. Even though their sin deserved horrible punishment, God tells us in this passage that He would defeat their enemies. He invites those Israelites who still had hope in their hearts to come back to Him, to return to His arms of safety. 

If you’ve never lost anything or anyone that was extremely precious to you, if you’ve never had something valuable stolen or destroyed by someone, then this invitation from God might not be as meaningful. But if you have suffered loss in your life, then you cannot help but be encouraged by this passage. Our God is all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere present, and loving beyond anything we can imagine. When we experience times of great loss and lows, He wants us to know we can come to Him. He wants to comfort our hearts, restore our losses, and heal us in ways we can’t imagine. 

Jesus Christ told us in John 10:10 that the devil is a thief and his purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. We’ve all been through tough times in life. Some of us work very hard to make it to where we are today. When the enemy plots against us, it can feel like we’re being knocked two steps backwards; it’s discouraging to say the least. You overcome an obstacle only to realize there’s another one you didn’t see coming. At our lowest point, the devil tries to tell us we’re not going to make it, that we’re too weak, and we won’t get back to the place we once were. God’s Word is the truth, and we must never put the lies of the devil over what God says in His Word. Heavenly Father tells us in Romans 8:37 (NLT), “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” 1John 4:4(NLT) says, “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.”

In Christ, our goal shouldn’t be to just get back to where we were. God wants our vision to expand. He wants us to exceed where we were. I learned many years ago to speak life into my conditions and situations. This is what God’s Word tells us to do. We must speak His promises over our lives and be filled with hope in His goodness, because He will never let us down, and He cannot fail. 

It is important to understand that we were not created to be defeated. We were created to walk in the victory of Jesus Christ! Yes, life can be difficult, and we sometimes lose things and people that are very precious to us, but our God has released us from the prison of hopelessness through His Son, Jesus Christ. Whatever you’ve lost in the past, our God can restore it and He can restore you. Through His Holy Spirit that indwells you, He can do a work in your heart. It’s time for you to regain what was taken. Trust God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and watch as everything you lost is returned twice-over!■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

“Everything You Lost Returned”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.