It’s Payback Time!
In 2 Kings 8, there's the story about Elisha and a woman who was good friends with him. Her son had died, and Elisha came and prayed for the boy, and he came back to life. Later, there was a great famine in the land. Elisha told this woman that she needed to move to another city because the food was going to be so scarce. So she left her home and went to the land of the Philistines. Seven years later, the famine was over. She was so excited about coming back home. But when she arrived, she found that someone was living in her house, farming her land and making money off of her property. She couldn't believe it. She said, "What are you doing here? This is my house. I built this place." They wouldn't budge. They weren't about to leave.
She didn't know what to do, so she decided to go see the king. Now, this king wasn't a godly man. She didn't have any connection with him. She didn't even know if the king would see her. But when she arrived, it just so happened that Gehazi, the assistant to Elisha, was there visiting with the king. The king was very intrigued by the prophet Elisha. He asked Gehazi to tell him some stories about the miracles that Elisha had performed. It just so happened that Gehazi started off telling the story about a little boy who died, and how Elisha prayed and he came back to life. Right as he was telling it, perfectly on cue, this lady walked in the room. Gehazi was amazed. He said, "King! That's the lady I'm talking about right there. It was her son that came back to life."
The king said, "Is this true?"
She said, "Exactly true."
The king was so moved not only by the miracle, but by the fact that this lady had shown up unannounced perfectly on cue. He said to the lady, "Ma'am, what can I do for you?"
She explained her situation of how she was gone for seven years and now she's back home, and somebody is living in her house.
The king said, "No problem. I'll take care of that."
He instructed his officials to make sure that she not only got her house back, but he said, "See to it that she gets all the money from any crops that were harvested during the seven years that she was gone."
What she had lost by being away for seven years was returned to her in one day. That was God restoring the years, paying her back for what should have been hers.
Now some of you are due for a payback. You've lost some things. The good news is that they still have your name on them: your health, your dreams, your finances, your relationships.
If you'll believe God for restoration, like this lady, God will pay you back for everything that should have been yours. God can make up for seven years of loss with one good break. God can take fifteen years of struggle and lack and cause one person to show you favor that will make up for those fifteen years. You may have struggled in your health, in a relationship, in your mind and have no peace, but get this down in your spirit. It's payback time. God is going to start restoring everything that should have been yours!
KJV
"And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed a certain officer for her, saying, "Restore all that was hers, and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land until now." (2 Kings 8:6, NKJV)
She didn't know what to do, so she decided to go see the king. Now, this king wasn't a godly man. She didn't have any connection with him. She didn't even know if the king would see her. But when she arrived, it just so happened that Gehazi, the assistant to Elisha, was there visiting with the king. The king was very intrigued by the prophet Elisha. He asked Gehazi to tell him some stories about the miracles that Elisha had performed. It just so happened that Gehazi started off telling the story about a little boy who died, and how Elisha prayed and he came back to life. Right as he was telling it, perfectly on cue, this lady walked in the room. Gehazi was amazed. He said, "King! That's the lady I'm talking about right there. It was her son that came back to life."
The king said, "Is this true?"
She said, "Exactly true."
The king was so moved not only by the miracle, but by the fact that this lady had shown up unannounced perfectly on cue. He said to the lady, "Ma'am, what can I do for you?"
She explained her situation of how she was gone for seven years and now she's back home, and somebody is living in her house.
The king said, "No problem. I'll take care of that."
He instructed his officials to make sure that she not only got her house back, but he said, "See to it that she gets all the money from any crops that were harvested during the seven years that she was gone."
What she had lost by being away for seven years was returned to her in one day. That was God restoring the years, paying her back for what should have been hers.
Now some of you are due for a payback. You've lost some things. The good news is that they still have your name on them: your health, your dreams, your finances, your relationships.
If you'll believe God for restoration, like this lady, God will pay you back for everything that should have been yours. God can make up for seven years of loss with one good break. God can take fifteen years of struggle and lack and cause one person to show you favor that will make up for those fifteen years. You may have struggled in your health, in a relationship, in your mind and have no peace, but get this down in your spirit. It's payback time. God is going to start restoring everything that should have been yours!
KJV
"And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed a certain officer for her, saying, "Restore all that was hers, and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land until now." (2 Kings 8:6, NKJV)