July 8
"I will restore to you the years which the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame." -God in Joel 2:25-26 (RSV)
Have you ever been so stressed you felt like you lost a day or even a year? If so, you can understand the reality of "years the locusts have eaten" in Joel. What would such years look like for us today? They may look like the hard years we experienced a great deal of loss. It could have been the result of illness, death of loved ones, or financial disasters that left us feeling like that year was one locusts of affliction ate up all we had including days and time. Lost years are years we can't seem to get back. They come in many varieties and are usually painful years. They may be times we had plans for a future that didn't materialize and now we fear our future years may be empty. They may be conflict-filled or loveless years of divisions in families or alienation from those we once loved. Or we may not have found the "Love of our Life" and years moved on and left us alone. It is as if locusts have eaten them.
Yet God did indeed keep this awesome promise to restore lost years to the Israelites in Joel 2:25. It meant that seasons of abundant harvests followed the years of devastation and famine that had been brought about by swarms of locusts devouring everything. But God also put this promise in the Bible for us today. Take heart! There is Hope! There is Hope because God says he can restore our lost years! He can do so in unlimited ways. First, God says he will remove our shame which includes any sense of failure or embarrassment. While we do not know exactly what the details of the restoration of our lost years will look like in our lives, or precisely when it will happen, you can rest assured God will keep his promise even as he did for the Hebrews. We may see broken relationships mended and new ones forged. Or we may experience physical, spiritual, or emotional healings. Yet God can give us all a supernatural joy, revelation, peace and victory far beyond our human circumstances or abilities! He can accomplish more than you ever thought possible and restore your lost years in amazing ways if you only ask. Seek God's perfect path! Jesus wants to bless you with only the best!
Prayer: Lord God, Thank you for restoring my lost years. Amen.
Meditation For The Day: Locusts devour. God empowers.
Brief Devotions For Busy Lives: Daily Spring Renewal Paperback – February 21, 2017, by Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson (Author)
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