“I will restore to you the years the locusts have eaten,” God told Israel through Joel, not just forgiving the years of devastation, but promising to actually give them back, as if they’d never been lost.
These thirty verses are for that same promise, restoration of whatever’s been taken, worn down, or broken, not just moving forward from loss but genuinely being restored.
Pray these expecting more than recovery, expecting what was actually returned.
Prayer for Restoration
1. Joel 2:25 (KJV)
“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.”
Prayer: Restore to me the years that have been eaten away, give back what was lost.
Let restoration be complete, not just partial recovery.
2. Psalms 23:3 (KJV)
“He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
Prayer: You restore my soul, and lead me in right paths for Your name’s sake.
Let my soul be restored, not just my circumstances.
3. Psalms 51:12 (KJV)
“Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”
Prayer: Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and grant me a willing spirit.
Let joy return, not just relief from what was hard.
4. Job 42:10 (KJV)
“And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.”
Prayer: You restored Job’s fortunes and gave him twice as much as before. Restore me that fully too.
Let this restoration exceed what was lost, not just replace it.
5. Jeremiah 30:17 (KJV)
“For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.”
Prayer: Restore me to health and heal my wounds.
Let healing and restoration happen together, not one without the other.
6. Isaiah 61:7 (KJV)
“For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.”
Prayer: Instead of shame, let me receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace, everlasting joy.
Let what was taken be replaced with more, not just equal measure.
7. Psalms 71:20-21 (KJV)
“Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.”
Prayer: Though You’ve let me see troubles, restore my life again, increase my honor and comfort me.
Let comfort follow restoration, not just distance from the trouble.
8. Psalms 80:3 (KJV)
“Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”
Prayer: Restore me, make Your face shine on me, that I may be saved.
Let Your face turning toward me be what actually restores me.
9. Psalms 85:4 (KJV)
“Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.”
Prayer: Restore me again, God my Savior, and put away Your displeasure toward me.
Let restoration come with real peace, not lingering guilt.
10. Zechariah 9:12 (KJV)
“Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;”
Prayer: Even now You declare that You will restore double to me.
Let this promise of double restoration be true in my own life.
11. 1 Peter 5:10 (KJV)
“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”
Prayer: After I have suffered a little while, restore me, make me strong, firm, and steadfast.
Let this suffering actually be followed by real restoration.
12. Ruth 4:15 (KJV)
“And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.”
Prayer: You are a restorer of life, sustaining me even in seasons I thought were long past.
Let life be restored even where I thought that door had closed.
13. Psalms 126:1 (KJV)
“When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.”
Prayer: When You restored what was lost, it felt like a dream. Let me live that kind of restoration.
Let restoration feel this unbelievable, in the best way.
14. Isaiah 58:12 (KJV)
“And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”
Prayer: Let me rebuild the ancient ruins, be called a repairer of broken walls, a restorer of streets.
Let restoration extend through me to others too.
15. Psalms 30:11 (KJV)
“Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;”
Prayer: You turned my wailing into dancing, removed my sackcloth, clothed me with joy.
Let this same reversal happen in whatever I’m currently grieving.
16. Hosea 6:1 (KJV)
“Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.”
Prayer: Let me return to You, for You have torn me, but You will also heal me.
Let healing follow directly from turning back to You.
17. Deuteronomy 30:3 (KJV)
“That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.”
Prayer: Restore my fortunes and gather me back, out of whatever scattered me.
Let gathering back together be as real as the scattering was.
18. Ezekiel 37:1-6 (KJV)
“The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.”
Prayer: Breathe new life into what feels like dry bones in me, and let me live again.
Let nothing be too dead or dried out for You to restore.
19. Psalms 147:3 (KJV)
“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”
Prayer: You heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.
Let this binding up be thorough, reaching every wound.
20. Isaiah 40:29-31 (KJV)
“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Prayer: You give strength to the weary and renew the power of the weak.
Let renewed strength meet me exactly where the old kind ran out.
21. James 5:15-16 (KJV)
“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Prayer: Let the prayer offered in faith make me well, and let You raise me up.
Let restoration come through prayer offered in real faith.
22. Luke 15:22-24 (KJV)
“But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”
Prayer: Like the father with the prodigal son, restore me fully, robe, ring, and all, as if I never left.
Let restoration be complete and celebrated, not grudging.
23. Psalms 116:8-9 (KJV)
“For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.”
Prayer: You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
Let all three of these be true for me again.
24. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Prayer: Let me humble myself, pray, and seek Your face, and let You hear, forgive, and heal.
Let this promise reach the land of my own life too.
25. Psalms 68:6 (KJV)
“God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.”
Prayer: You set the lonely in families, and lead out the prisoners with singing.
Let restoration include real belonging, not just relief.
26. Isaiah 57:18-19 (KJV)
“I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.”
Prayer: You will guide me and restore comfort to me, creating praise on my lips.
Let comfort restore me from the inside out.
27. Jeremiah 33:6 (KJV)
“Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.”
Prayer: Bring health and healing, and reveal to me abundant peace and security.
Let peace be part of what restoration actually feels like.
28. Joel 2:26 (KJV)
“And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.”
Prayer: Let me eat plenty and be satisfied, and praise Your name for the wonders You’ve done.
Let restoration lead me back to praise, not just relief.
29. Isaiah 61:3 (KJV)
“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.”
Prayer: Give me beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning.
Let this exchange be as real as it sounds here.
30. Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV)
“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”
Prayer: Bless me and keep me, make Your face shine on me, and give me peace as I’m restored.
Let this old blessing be part of my restoration too.
Conclusion
God’s promise to Israel through Joel wasn’t a vague comfort. It was specific, the actual years the locusts had eaten, given back. Restoration in Scripture tends to work that way, not just moving forward from loss, but genuinely being made whole again.
Name specifically what feels lost or eaten away, and pray restoration over that exact thing.
For restoration of a specific relationship, a prayer for restoration of a broken relationship, and for the body, a prayer for complete healing both go further into it.