Taking Back What the Enemy Stole

Last week our van was stolen in the middle of the day, right in front of a busy bowling alley parking lot. As we realized our van was missing and dealt with all that followed, I experienced an array of feelings. I was angry, frustrated, and worried, but still had a very real feeling of peace and assurance that everything would be ok.

Just a couple nights later the police called, telling me to come pick up our van. They said they "caught the thug who stole it" and that he was currently in holding. When I went to pick the van up, the officers said that without a doubt, this man would be going to prison. Not only did he commit grand larceny by stealing our van, but he also used our van to haul a plethora of other items he had stolen out of other cars and homes throughout 5 or 6 counties. They actually found our van while he was actively burglarizing another vehicle.

As I drove home that night, I realized, I was literally taking back what the enemy had stolen! Then, it occurred to me that our van was used as a vehicle to restore to others what the enemy had stolen, too. That really blew my mind because according to statistics, there's only a 28% chance that someone’s stolen property will be returned to them. It was very unlikely that a van-full of items would be returned to their owners, but God used my van to get them their items back.

As I thought about this, I was reminded of Joel 2:25a (ESV) which says, "I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten."

In this verse, Joel was prophesying to the people of Judah after a devastating locust invasion had destroyed their crops, which was their livelihood. He explained to the people that God would restore what had been lost. For believers today, this promise has a symbolic significance. The locusts can represent anything that has stolen the abundant life God wants for us. Whether it's a relationship, our own destructive habits, experiencing loss, someone's hurtful words, dealing with an illness or pain, or witnessing an injustice, God can redeem and restore what was taken from us.

 I'm incredibly grateful that God protected our van, got it back to us safely, and even provided what we needed while it was gone. But I am most amazed by God’s ability to use the theft of my van as the vehicle that would help everyone else hurt by this man retrieve their stolen items also.

 No matter what we endure, God promises to restore what the enemy has stolen. Not only that, but I believe God uses each of us, and our various experiences, circumstances, and the pain we’ve experienced, as a vehicle to help restore what has been stolen from others, too. What an honor that is!

 

Tori