“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame.“ Joel 2:25-26 NKJV

Many people may not have noticed or thought about them losing one thing or the other. Some may have even resolved to get over it and move on. There are many examples of things either lost, stolen, hijacked or diverted in this generation and generations before us.  For some, it is a failed business that robbed them of their savings, sleep and joy. Others may have lost opportunities that could have repositioned them. For some, it is the money being spent on a the lingering health battle while some have lost the relationships they had with their spouses or business associates.

One thing we must all understand is that our God never intended that we accept defeat in any of these areas. This is because He is a God of restoration. He does not restore as the world will – putting things back as they should be. His plan for restoration always involves restoring things to us better than they would have been.

The best definition of Restoration by man is “the returning of something or someone to their original state”, such could have earlier been lost, stolen, hijacked or manipulated. The truth for us to accept is that our God is not limited at all, in what way He restores, or who He heals, or how He binds what has been broken, and what Jesus does to those He makes new. Throughout Scripture, we see His restoration power at work in the lives of countless people.

Areas of need for restoration could also be physical, spiritual or emotional. It does not matter to God. This is why, I am glad to inform you that year 2024 is already blessed to be the greatest year we have ever had. God has spoken to us in the power of His Holy Spirit through our Diocesan, The Rt. Revd. Ifedola Senasu Okupevi and we shall see it come to pass. It is indeed the time for us to witness and enjoy full restoration of everything the devil has stolen or we have lost.

As we look forward to this, we have some roles and responsibilities on our part. First, we must list all we desire God to restore. Habakkuk 2:2 (ESV) “Write the vision; make it plain.” – Whether stolen, hijacked or lost and would love to see a turnaround especially if we have put them out of our minds and are without expectation of restoration. Brethren, act now! Write down all of them.

Secondly, we must ask. Our Lord Jesus Christ is aware of all we go through but He wants us to ask. Matthew 7:7-8 says “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.“ God answers the call of His people. Mark 11:24 ”Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.“ We must call on God in faith and we will not be put to shame.

The final step for us to take is to be grateful to God first for His promise to restore, thanking Him for caring for us so much as to restore us. Gratitude unlocks many things. Beloved, be deliberate about thanking God this year. Do not trade it for anything. Thank Him for the past, the present and the beautiful future ahead. This year 2024, may we all experience all round restoration. We will never be put to shame in Jesus name. Amen.

Do have testimonies-filled year 2024.

Your Vicar, Brother, Friend and Archdeacon of Ikoyi
The Venerable Folorunso OreOluwa Agbelusi