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. Joel 2:25
In the last two days I have finished Hosea and Joel. I always enjoy the story of Hosea but struggle with the book of Joel. However, today Joel 2:25 really spoke to me. I have heard this verse referred to on occasion but I had never really took time to focus in on it.
This verse is found to be true in the life of the Apostle Paul after years of persecuting the church God uses him mightily. This truth is seen on the day of Pentecost as Peter preaches with power after not too many days. I am so thankful for these aspect of the truth being taught about the wonderful forgiving nature of our God.
We would do the text an injustice if we did not also take a good look at the description giving to the years wasted. Joel shows that God does not have to do much, when he intends to reduce men to nothing. The spoilers, then, which had destroyed the whole produce of the land, were, as Joel declares, the messengers of God. It was not by chance that the locusts, or the cankerworms, or the chafers came; but God hired these soldiers, they were his forces and his army to distress the whole people; then famine and want consumed them.
It is so amazing that God takes a land that has been made barren and gives it peace. It took a land that would be considered sterile and made it so that would be able to flourish. I have seen God do this in the life of many people and it is beautiful.
As amazing restoration is to see, watching people goes through the “wasted years” is equally horrific. From reading theses verses I am reminded that people away from the Lord are in a much worse condition then I often recognize.
My prayer for my teens today is that they will take a good look into horizon and see what the decisions they will make today will yield them in years to come. My prayer for the young couples out there is that they will know that the years wasted “from youth group” to their early thirties (this happens so often) is that they know that God is ready to see fruit flourish in what now is barren land!
