Testimony Tuesday: Restoration

I know the power of a testimony. I have been changed by many and have changed my mind about God (being renewed in my mind about His never-changing goodness) in hundreds. I, myself, have too many testimonies to share. The more you see who He really is (Perfect Love), the more you experience His miracles; His very life.

Testimonies reveal the love and goodness of a Father who lives to bless you, so you can know Him more. It’s why He sent His Son. He wants you to encounter Him. Revelations 12:11 says we overcome the devil’s accusations by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

Every Tuesday, I’ll be sharing a new testimony that I pray will transform your heart and mind, increasing your capacity to believe He is better than you ever imagined. Today’s testimony may be simple. But Jesus is not only powerful, He is practical. He cares about every single detail of your life. 

As most of you know, my oldest son Quinn recently had a birthday. And as most of you also know, he is a baseball fanatic (Oh, and an avid collector of matchbox cars). Now that he’s a little older, when birthdays or holidays roll around, he usually requests gift cards from relatives instead of gifts. 

His grandparents (Nana and Nano), my in-loves from Florida, ended up sending him a Visa gift card in which he was thrilled to start using immediately for, yep, you guessed it…matchbox cars and baseball cards. After getting a few of these things he had on his “want” list, he was left with $17 on that card.

Now Quinn is a loyal Royals fan, but he’s an even bigger fan of people. He loves the players, coaches and staff members. Therefore, he loves just about every team in Major League Baseball. So with the remaining $17, he was planning on getting a couple of individual team card packs which would’ve added up to about 35 cards. 

The last time Quinn used his gift card was at a sporting goods store where we were getting a few things for our other sons’ Little League baseball season. Instead of putting his card in his wallet, he put it in the bag that held his freshly purchased single pack of baseball cards.

By the time we got home we were in a rush to gather up our stuff for the boys’ Little League game that night. Quinn was scrambling to organize his new baseball cards before we left and didn’t realize he threw away his gift card wrapped up in the receipt that was in the bag.

A day or two later,  he realized what he had done. He was so upset. Although it was only $17, he was so frustrated he couldn’t get the baseball card packs he wanted. That was when I reminded him to be gentle with himself and to not beat himself up for making a mistake. Then I reminded him how much Jesus cares about what happened and about everything he was feeling. 

The first thing I told him was to bring it all to Jesus. And to remember how He loves to restore what we’ve lost or what the enemy steals from us. Now, when God restores, He doesn’t just restore the way we usually think of something returning. He restores double, if not in quantity always in quality. It’s what Jesus paid for. 

At that point we prayed that the Lord would restore what Quinn had lost. Even though he was still perturbed by it, I gently prompted him to give it to Jesus and let it go. 

Before I share with you how the Lord blessed Quinn, I want to just make a side note that while his grandparents are always very generous, they usually stick to birthdays and holidays for sending gifts. In other words, it’s out of the ordinary for them to send a gift randomly during any other time of the year. They also had no idea that Quinn had lost his gift card. No one knew except our immediate family.

That being said, last week, my mother-in-love called me and told me to expect a package for Quinn. I thought that was odd but told her I would look out for it. When it arrived at our house the next day, I gave it to Quinn and watched him open it. 

Inside was a large baseball card box filled with 705 cards! It was the complete 2018 baseball card set! He was beside himself! It was so awesome to see what he was believing for! It was so awesome to see God‘s goodness super-exceed his expectations! 

I called my mother-in-love and told her the whole story. She was just as touched and transformed by it as Quinn. She told me that she had been ordering something else when a picture of those baseball cards came up and she instantly thought of Quinn and felt it placed on her heart to send them to him. She too felt so loved by God that He would, through her, restore that which was originally lost of hers, since she was the one that gave Quinn the gift card to begin with.

That’s just how good (and fun) He is. Your Father doesn’t just restore 100%, He restores 120% or more because Jesus was your trespass offering (see Leviticus 6:4-5). Because He has redeemed you from the curse on the cross, all that Jesus is has been restored to you. 

No matter what’s been stolen from your life, whether it be an item, peace, health, relationships or even loss of a loved one, know that God cares more about it than you realize. He loves what you love more than you love it. 

Today, I am releasing His grace over you to hope again; to believe that He wants not only to restore what has been lost, but increase your quality of life in addition to it. I am declaring restoration in your life right now, in Jesus Name, for what the enemy has destroyed or stolen. Even if it’s a loss of life, know that God can recover and give you profound quality in relationships that are dear to you and even restore additional children as He did in my life after I miscarried.

“Return to the stronghold (Jesus), You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you.”
‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭9:12‬

Beloved, no matter how impossible your restoration may seem, God can do anything you know; above and beyond all you ask or think. He is for you. Simply look to Him and trust that all His blessings and all His goodness are yours all because of the sacrifice of Jesus!

Resting In His Love,

Annalee Reyes