Restoration

Years ago I did a Bible study on the names of God that describe His many attributes. One name I learned was "El Gemolah", which means the "God of Recompense" (Jer. 51:56) - the God who pays back. In some cases, He pays back those who have done wrong (Law of sowing and reaping), while other times, He's the God who pays back because He restores what the enemy has stolen from His children.
I was led this morning to read the story in 2 Kings 8 about the Shunammite woman's land. She's the same one who prepared a room for Elisha. If you know the story, you remember that Elisha prayed for her (even though she had been barren) to have a son and then he later died. She went to find Elisha and he prayed for her dead son and brought him back to life.

We see in 2 Kings 8 that there is another chapter to her story.

Elisha tells her:

"Arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for the Lord has called for a famine; and furthermore, it will come upon the land for seven years."

I don't know about you, but I can certainly imagine what kind of emotions she might have been experiencing. The Shunammite woman was generous, god-fearing, and obedient (2 Kings 4:8-37), she'd already been through a great trial. Yet she found herself and her family having to leave everything behind and go live in a foreign land for seven years.
At times, whether through the injustice of the enemy stealing something from us, or God just directing our path in a different direction that we can't fully understand, we find ourselves facing what appears to be great loss. It might look as if we're going backwards away from what we thought was His will (and forcing us to live a season in a "foreign land", not where we know we ultimately belong). 
That's why I love how this story ends - it is a testimony to the faithfulness of God!
"It came to pass at the end of the seven years..." - 2 Kings 8:3 - Praise God, there is always an appointed end to your season of testing and trial.
The woman returned from the land of the Philistines and went to the King prepared to beg for her land back. What she didn't know was that God had already gone before her to set into motion a plan for restoration. At the very moment she appeared before the King, he was having a conversation with Elisha's servant answering questions about the miracles Elisha had performed, her miracle in particular! Gehazi, Elisha's servant, says

"My lord, o King, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life."

Talk about awesome timing!  The Shunammite woman was able to tell the King all about what Elisha had done. Then the King appointed an officer to help her and he commanded

"Restore all that was hers and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land until now."

God doesn't just give back what we lost- when He restores, He gives more than you had before!

That is the God of Recompense!
Joel 2:25