Double Blessings From God: Day 39
Double Blessings From God
Day 39…from setback to comeback
Double Blessings From God. This is Day 39 of our 40-Day journey from setback to comeback, based on my book, Return from Exile. As Easter is now upon us, we set our sights on our personal resurrection and coming out of exile into the new life that God has for us.
I mentioned the other day that King David was confident that God restores our soul (Psalm 23). It’s interesting to look at how God has restored people throughout the Bible.
Double Blessings From God
A common theme in restoration is that God restores you to a place that is better than you were before your exile, often with a double blessing.
Naaman’s leprous hand “was restored like the flesh of a little child…” (1 Kings 5:1-14).
God restored Job's fortunes “two-fold” (Job 42:10).
God restored Nebuchadnezzar with “surpassing greatness” (Daniel 4:36,37).
God spoke through Zechariah that he would restore double to them (Zechariah 9:11,12)
Is it too much to hope that God might restore double to you as well?
Restoring double implies that your exile is at last over. You are fully accepted, and the gate of blessings is now wide open to you. The prophet Isaiah’s famous words say it best so I will quote them for you:
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted , To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners (exiles);
2 To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God ; To comfort all who mourn,
3 To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
4 Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, They will raise up the former devastations; And they will repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations.
5 Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks, And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.
6 But you will be called the priests of the LORD; You will be spoken of as ministers of our God. You will eat the wealth of nations, And in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land, Everlasting joy will be theirs. Isaiah 61
The Way Back From Exile
I’ve been trying to show you a way out of exile. Above all, you need to have hope. You need to believe that God desires your best.
Like the Prodigal, God welcomes you back from exile. But more than that, he puts a robe around your shoulders, a ring on your finger, and sandals on your feet.
Why? To restore you. Exile stripped you but God wants to make your life good again. More than that, he wants to celebrate you…YOU…in all of your weakness and failure.
Receive the Blessing
But as with the Prodigal, you have to be willing to receive the blessing. He could have refused, saying that he wasn’t worthy. But he stepped into the blessing.
Do you have hope of being restored? Is God trying to bless you now but you are unwilling to receive it? Open your heart and let God do good things in your life.
I’ll close with Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church:
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. 20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:16-20
These forty days of devotionals are adapted from my two books, Out of Exile and Return from Exile. They are available on Amazon.com.
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