Deuteronomy 7:8 (NKJV) But because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Joel 2:25-27 (NLT) The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the Lord your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will My people be disgraced. Then you will know that I am among My people Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other. Never again will My people be disgraced.”

According to the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary, the terms, redemption and restoration can be defined as:

Redemption – The purchase of God’s favor by the death and sufferings of Christ; the ransom or deliverance of sinners from the bondage of sin and the penalties of God’s violated law by the atonement of Christ. The act of procuring the deliverance of persons or things from the possession and power of captors by the payment of an equivalent; ransom; release.

Restoration – Renewal; revival; re-establishment.

When we read stories in the Bible such as the life of Joseph, we see how the Lord redeemed and restored him. Joseph was the son of Jacob (Isaac’s son and Abraham’s grandson). Joseph was dearly loved and favored by his father which caused lots of tension between him and his siblings. His brothers hated him. Their jealousy and hatred drove them into plotting his murder, but instead, they sold him into slavery. He was brought to Egypt and eventually sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard. But the Lord was with Joseph (please keep this in mind). Potiphar saw how the Lord was with Joseph, so he appointed him as overseer of his house. And Potiphar’s house was blessed for Joseph’s sake. Now Joseph was a handsome young man and his good looks caught the attention of Potiphar’s wife. (Uh-oh)! She began making sexual advances towards him on a daily basis. One day as Joseph was taking care of his job responsibilities, she became very aggressive and grabbed him by his garment and tried to get him to have relations with her. Joseph was able to break away from her and he ran outside. (Smart move)! However, Potiphar’s wife became enraged and falsely accused (lied) Joseph of trying to come on to her. (She shifted the blame to Joseph knowing it was her all along)! As a result, Potiphar became very angry and had Joseph imprisoned. But the Lord was with Joseph! (Side note: Even though Joseph was falsely accused and imprisoned because of her lies, I think this was God’s way of protecting and completely delivering Joseph from the hands of Potiphar’s wife). It reminds me of 1 Corinthians 10:13 (paraphrasing: When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.) Although Potiphar made the decision to put Joseph in prison, in my opinion, God used it to redeem Joseph and deliver him from the hands of this woman.

Joseph’s imprisonment was not in vain. Since the Lord was with him, he found favor with the keeper of the prison. And all the prisoners were entrusted to Joseph as he became their overseer. Do you see the hand of the Lord in all of this? Whatever the enemy threw at Joseph, God turned it around for good (Genesis 50:20).

While in prison, Joseph interpreted the dreams of two jailers: one was restored to his place of honor while the other was not. Joseph told the chief butler who was restored to please remember him upon his release. But he forgot him; however, the Lord didn’t forget Joseph. (What’s the catch phrase?) The Lord was with him!

After two years had gone by, Pharaoh himself had dreams, but no one could interpret them. Then the chief butler remembered Joseph. He explained to Pharaoh how Joseph interpreted his dream. So Pharaoh had Joseph brought to him and he told him his dreams and in turn, Joseph gave the interpretations. This led to Joseph being appointed as Governor over Egypt.

I love reading about the life of Joseph. It’s a story of redemption and restoration. Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt, he was imprisoned, he was falsely accused, and then imprisoned again. But through it all, God was always with him and His hand of favor was upon his life. God raised him up in the very city where he was held captive. God took what the enemy meant for evil and turned it around for Joseph’s good.

I hope this story encourages you and brings comfort to your hearts. We will all face hardship and times of testing, but we can rest assure that God is with us and we are not alone. What the enemy conjures up for evil, God will always turn around for our good and for His glory. One bible teacher sums it up in two words, “Suffer well”. We must all learn to suffer well and trust God in the midst of it. Remember, no scheme or lie of man will thwart the plans and purposes that God has for our lives. Evil and deception will never win, but God will and He my friends, will always have the very last word! Believe and trust in Him!

Maybe you suffered a loss! The Lord will redeem and restore back to you that which was taken. Don’t lose heart! It’s not over! God will always take what the enemy meant for harm and completely turn it around for your ultimate good and His glory. Your best days are still in front of you. I love the slogan our President uses, “Lets Make America Great Again!” My Prayer is that God will “Make Your Life; my Life/Your Ministry; my Ministry Much Greater Again!” He’s the Great I AM and nothing is to difficult for Him. He’s our Redeemer and Restorer!

Psalm 78:35 (NLT) Then they remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer.

Isaiah 43:1 (NKJV) But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine”.