God’s Redemption of Time, Part 2
5 Nov 2021 Andermatt, Switzerland
Worshipping alone with God high in the Swiss Alps, I am thankful and amazed that I actually made it here, resting in the Lord, surrounded by the beauty of His creation and fresh air.
The “4-in-1 R” of Redemption
Continuing from Part 1, He teaches what Redemption is, in 4 Rs:
Recoup, Recover, Regain, Retrieve.
I try to find the Chinese words for them as it is a language with many specific nuances.
RECOUP 补回
I associate this word with finances – to recoup my financial losses or investments. Although I am nett up this year, but yes, would be nice to recoup some losses.
RECOVER 拿回
Lost intimacy, recovering a close walk with You? I checked my dicky (the dictionary) for more: “to find or regain perception of something stolen or lost…” Yes Lord, I certainly need to take back what your enemy has stolen from me. I need the strength and desire to walk intimately with you once again.
REGAIN 恢复,收回
My brain function, memory, sharpness, and health.
Yes, He has been telling me that not only the body needs exercise, but the brain too. The pandemic has taken a huge toll on mental health for many, including myself.
RETRIEVE 找回, 捡回
Dicky: To bring back or carry back something that was stored away or has dropped out of reach, belongings locked away; or to rectify a blunder. I thought of the blessings and promises of God that V asked me to store away in a huge metal cage many years ago.
Then I heard V say:
“Ask God now what are the 4 Rs you want in the year 2022. You will need to put on the full armour of God once again to get them back.”
Ah, the warfare. Need to war to redeem time.
Something about the 4th R: Retrieve
I felt that I need to look up the 4th R further.
Dicky says this about “Retrieve”:
- Get back into one’s possession and control from a known place or storage
- To go bring and escort someone e.g. from the station
- Reference to dogs: search, find and carry back thrown object
- Gain access to stored information
- To recall a memory
- To rescue or save
- To make a difficult but successful return (e.g. a comeback in sports)
- To restore to a former or desirable condition
- To rectify, remedy e.g. a blunder
- To search for, find and bring back from a shipwreck.
Kelly’s Retrieve
Later on, I shared the 4Rs with Kelly and when I came to the word “Retrieve”, she got excited and reminded me that her new dog, Xaira, is a golden retriever! ☺
“Xaira is not only a retriever but a Labrador retriever,” she exclaims, which apparently means they are very strong-willed. I hope Kelly will one day share the story about her two very special dogs; River, the white lab which passed away this year and now Xaira, the black lab.
She quickly looks up the Chinese words for “Retrieve” further:
取回
恢复
回收
挽回
And God starts to speak about lost dreams and aspirations, weighed down with exasperation and pain. As the words flowed out from my lips, His Presence came…. like a dam being released, His healing waters break over her, setting her free…
I liked the last of the four Chinese words 挽回 (wanhui) particularly and decided to look it up in Chinese further:
- 扭转不利的局面
- 收回已经失去的东西
Which means “a turnaround from a disadvantageous or unsatisfactory situation” and “to retrieve or take back something that has been lost.”
Only God would have known…
I watch in awe as Kelly started scribbling furiously onto her iPad. Within minutes, she got it all down.
This lady sure picks things up fast! ☺ A good student indeed, whom I am sure will do very well in 2022.
Perhaps 2022 will be the pivotal moment for her, the turn, the 回, and she will retrieve from her shipwreck all that God has put away for her, when she redeems her lost time, resolutely.
I pray that you all will too.
Only God can redeem time that has passed; for He is a God of second chances.
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