I have watched recently a wonderful movie which I can only recommend – namely „Love’s Enduring Promise“ with Katherine Heigl. This movie shows beautifully how God as the God of the second chance deals with our losses and gains on the way. It is a story of how He redeems our tragedies and losses turning them into gains with eternal value.
The Redeemer of Losses and the Way to Recovery
Every person born on this earth without exception meets in his earthly life hardships, losses, pains and sorrows, betrayal, rejection, and hurts to one or another extent. Life offers us unfair and unexpected blows and wounds. That’s why it is very important to have a balanced outlook on life and know what our hope is. We need to know and follow the Way to recover the lost and the empty spaces in our hearts and lives.
Yes, there is a way and a hope based on God’s redemption, character, and love. One of the first names of God revealed in the oldest Bible book “Job” is a Redeemer. God through the Lord Jesus Christ is our Redeemer, not only from the law of sin and death. He also redeems all our sorrows and troubles.
The word „redeem“ according to the Encyclopedic Dictionary means:
1. To endure hardship, to sacrifice for the sake of something valuable. To expiate one’s love by suffering. Redeem with blood.
2. Buy back, recompensate, reward, repay.
In Jesus Christ in Whom God’s redemptive plan has been fulfilled, we have both meanings fulfilled. The Son of God sacrifices His life and redeems people with His blood, demonstrating how valuable and precious every soul is to him.
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The God of Retribution and Recompense
But let’s look more closely into the 2nd meaning of the word. God says in His word that anyone who is seeking Him must believe first that there is a God, and second, that He rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
One of God’s names (titles) that gives an idea of the important attribute of His character is Jehovah El Gmolah – the God of Retribution, Who pays back, recompensates, rewards, requites. (Jeremiah 51:6). God is a God who repays. And He will surely reward both His enemies and His lovers, who have entrusted their lives to Him. To them applies another principle and formula, namely: “Everything works together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
God through Christ is the Redeemer of all our sorrows and losses. #Faith #Hope #Encouragement #loss Share on X1 Samuel 10:19 describes God as God, Who Himself saves you out of all your troubles and afflictions. And Psalm 34 gives us a complete picture and description of God’s salvation and redemption. It says: “The righteous cry, and the LORD heard, and He delivered them from all their troubles. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But the Lord delivers him out of them all. “And the Lord Jesus Christ says: “You will have tribulation in this world, but take heart, I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33).
How God Redeems Our Losses
The question is how exactly God delivers us from our troubles and tribulations? How is He redeeming and recompensating our losses and sorrows? What does the balance of our life with God look like? Is there something to compensate or give us back the lost health, youth, loved ones, lost dreams, etc?
The answer is yes, there is! On the top of „the plus and gain column“ stands He, His love, and our covenant, eternal relationship with Him. His constant presence and love and the life and freedom that He gives us alone exceed a thousand times any loss and minus in our account! But apart from Himself, He compensates us with His superb and very great promises. As well as with boundless spiritual heritage and blessings in the present and the future life. The restoration of the integrity of our soul is priceless.
Losses and Gains on the Way – the Balance
Yet, for too many people this sounds abstract. The question is: What is my good when I get sick? What is good when I struggle with panic attacks and depression? What is my good when a loved one dies?
It is crucial when we are struggling with such issues and we are amid hardship and loss to know in your heart and remember one thing: God is good, and His love endures forever. He is always with us to give us comfort, strength, a new perspective, a future, and hope. He is for us and on our side and somehow, individually for each of us, and taking into account our specific situation and environment, dreams, and desires, He will redeem and recompensate our suffering so that it is not in vain, but to bring us good.
What specifically could be this good? Very often it is getting closer to God and more intimately and deeply knowing Him and His comfort, the development of strength and stability of the heart and mind, acquiring greater maturity, humility, and transformation of the mindset, acquiring the character of Christ, learning how to make God our refuge, strength, and joy. This is gold and silver. God will really use it all to bless us and mature us.
Paul says: “The present temporary sufferings can not be compared with the weight of glory that shall be revealed.” (Romans 8:18)
Our Balance Is Always Positive
The Bible is full of stories about people whose sorrows and heavy periods have been fully compensated and redeemed by God turning them into triumph and greatness – David, Ruth, Job, and Joseph, just to mention some and of course, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Besides our gains at the end, it is important as we struggle with something that we know and trust that God is with us to give us everything we need to get through the trial, to overcome and prevail – for example, wisdom, guidance, direction, specific knowledge, comfort, help and support from those around us, tranquility and peace, ability to cope with the stress, inner confidence in God’s presence and love, hope for the future, expectations for better output and better things for us, developing and validating of a victorious, life-enhancing and life-promoting mentality which forms the base of a victorious life.
Let us look with hope and joy and see that the balance in our lives is already written, the bill was closed already at the cross, and that whatever losses stand in the expenditure column, the revenue column is much greater and the gain at the end exceeds the wildest imagination. Because the bill is written by God, Who is good, Who loves us and makes us more than conquerors now and forever.
Learn Why and How Our Gains Outweigh Our Losses in DRAW NEAR
You can learn more about specific losses and gains when we face suffering, pain, and trauma in my book “Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings.”
Do you want to draw near to God when you are tempted to pull away amidst painful and traumatic experiences? Do you long for the transformation of your painful story into a story of preparation, empowerment, fruitfulness, and growth?
Let me take you on a journey through 13 painful experiences, showing the precious blessings and hidden gifts in each of them.
More Encouragement for You
If you need more resources, encouragement, and comfort when you go through pain, suffering, and shaking, I highly recommend these books. Check them out.
Trusting God in All the Things: 90 Devotions for Finding Peace in Your Every Day by Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk
Make Up Your Mind: Unlock Your Thoughts, Transform Your Life by Denise Dubois Pass and Michelle Nietert
Life Can Be Good Again by Lisa Appelo
It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lisa Terkeurst
Hope When Life Unravels: Finding God When It Hurts by Adam Dooley
Restoration Year – a 365 Days Devotional by John Eldredge
All Things New by John Eldredge
Hope for the Hard Days by Sarah Geringer
Lean into Grace by Stacey Pardoe
This page contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. The commission I make from these items will help keep this blog going. Thank you!
Your Turn
What do you consider your biggest loss? And your biggest gain? You are welcome to share and comment!
With God the balance of our life is always positive. The gain of knowing intimately God and His love outweigh our losses. #Faith #God #BibleStudy #Encouragement #Hope Share on X
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We’ve learned this many times over through our adoption process. Losses and gains. Ups and downs. The only thing that is steady is knowing and focusing on God’s love. He can handle our anger and pain just as well as our celebrations. Love the verses! Great post 🙂
Thank you so much for your uplifting words! I can only imagine what it is to go through an adoption process… I love your reminder that God can handle our anger and pain!
This was a thought-provoking read. We’re always looking for an explanation for things in our lives. Balancing good and bad outcomes is a challenge. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! True, it is one of the biggest challenges to accept things and situations, and then let go without knowing the “why”. But we can always trust God’s encompassing wisdom and knowledge.
Even though this was written 3 years ago it’s definitely applicable now. We are all suffering losses but there will be gains also. Thanks.
Thanks, Mike! Yes, life is about losses and learning to process them and letting go. The Bible gives us a perspective full of hope and the promise of restoration.