Recently my daughter celebrated her ninth birthday, and it was indeed a birthday full of recompense, or repayment. During the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, many reverted to drive-by birthdays, and my daughter, like the rest of us, felt the sting of this season.
For me, it was a no-brainer. We invited many. However, we lived so far from many family members, and others were consumed with the fear of coming out of isolation.
Although we prepared for a drive-by birthday, my daughter didn’t celebrate her birthday as she had in past seasons. It just didn’t happen like she thought. She was disappointed.
Prayers for Your Children
I always pray and cover my children, but my heart cry has been that my children would experience recompense and joy for any disappointments, even those from where my family has gone through transitions and have had to make major shifts, leaving the familiar for the place where God would have us be. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matt. 7:11).
Overflow of Blessings
Fast forward to her birthday celebration for 2021. Things were transitioning to a “new normal,” and the zenith of the pandemic was right before my daughter’s birthday. Places started to open to full capacity, so I planned to let this be a birthday she would remember. I wanted to make up for what didn’t happen for my daughter in 2020. As a parent, seeing dissatisfaction and disappointment on your child’s face for their birthday celebration is the last thing you want. So we planned a beautiful celebration with all her “favorite things” and invited as many friends and family as possible. And we added a bonus because we went swimming even after her two-hour birthday party.
We pulled it off, and my daughter had such a great day of celebration and so many beautiful birthday surprises. But it is what happened after her birthday that is the highlight to this story. The overflow started coming in the mail. More gifts my daughter desired arrived. She started receiving packages, and my daughter absolutely loves getting the mail and opening all the packages, even if they are addressed to others. She gets joy even when others receive. She loves watching others open their packages. This time the packages were addressed to her with her name printed on the mailing labels. Her voice pitch elevated as she read her name on the first package while jumping up and down in exuberant joy. The person who sent all these wonderful gifts said they would come to our address for the rest of the year.
As I sat with the Lord, I began to process this, and there are many others who, just like my daughter, felt the sting and disappointment of previous seasons where things may not have gone as expected. This is not only referring to the COVID-19 shutdown but of past seasons of great weeping over what was lost, feeling as though no one was there or cared to show up. The Lord is decreeing a recompense and a reimbursement over your life. “I will restore or replace for you the years that the locust has eaten” (Joel 2:25a, AMPC). Get ready for an overflow of joy!
Listen to this episode of Kingdom Touch Downs on Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}
Sherri Downs is a wife and mother of two. Sherri is a published author, life coach, mentor and speaker committed to her mandate to teach and instruct in the body of Christ. Sherri believes in the power of God that allows every believer to walk in newness. Visit touchdownsenterprise.com to learn more. You can find her book Don’t Be Bullied By the Devil here, and you can pre-order Righteous Relationship Reset here. Connect with Sherri Downs on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Joyce Meyer 
Stephen Strang 
Charisma Media Staff 
