The Write Redemption: 2025, A Year of Grace Upon Grace

Welcome to 2025! On October 29th, I was on a prayer call and as prayers were being solicited, I remember writing down "restoration, revival, and redemption." These three words became a prayer not only on a personal level but the remainder of 2024 and have carried over into 2025. Soon after, Psalms 25 came to mind and I later read about the significance of 25 in the Bible. The number 25 represents the "forgiveness of sins". It is composed of 20 (number for redemption) and 5 (number for grace). Ephesians 1:7 states, "In whom we have REDEMPTION through his blood, the FORGIVENESS OF SINS, according to the riches of His GRACE." This is illustrated through the story of Jehoiachin in Jeremiah 52:31-32. "Jeremiah states that the Jehoiachin's prison garments were changed, and that he did eat bread before him all the days of his life. (vs. 33) Here is a picture of a pardoned sinner." (Biblical Mathematics, Valowe, Ed. F., 1998)

Another significance of 25 in the Bible are the scriptures, Matthew 25 and Psalm 25. Matthew 25 is a parable about ten virgins who go out to meet the bridegroom, with five being wise and five being foolish. The wise virgins bring oil in their lamps, while the foolish ones do not. When the bridegroom arrives, the wise virgins go in with him, but the foolish ones are left out. The parable ends with the foolish virgins asking the wise for oil, but the wise respond that they should go buy their own. The parable's moral is to be watchful because no one knows when the Son of Man will come. 

With Psalm 25, this psalm includes the lines, "in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me". It also includes the lines, "guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long". 

We are in a time where we have many chances to be redeemed, restored, and revived. Let us all heed the revelations and what has been before our eyes. 

I close with a classic 1992 sermon from Billy Graham who speaks about how Jonah in the Bible ran away from God's commands but was given a second chance. 

In His Service,

Lequvia Ousley