So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, 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 be put to shame. —Joel 2:25–26
The children of Israel had invited disaster into their lives by disregarding and dishonoring the law of the Lord and therefore the Lord of the law. As always, God had allowed His people time to repent, and prophets like Joel had given words from the Lord calling the people to turn from their ways. The people, however, did not repent, and disaster struck. Like locusts, a wave of invading armies consumed Israel, and years were lost to captivity. In the verses preceding this passage, the Lord told the people to rend their hearts, not their garments (v. 13), and they were instructed to blow the trumpet and call for a fast (v. 15). The result would be the restoration of the years consumed by the locusts. Only God could make such a wonderful promise of creating something from nothing.
This is what God can do in our lives as well. He can take a troubled and wasted past and make something wonderful out of it. He can take a life consumed by rebellion and make it into a glorious vineyard for His name and glory. This is a tremendous truth to embrace and a magnificent one to share. Myriads of people today need to hear a message of hope. Some are still ensnared in a troubled past, while others struggle with an empty past. Some have spent their lives searching for something to believe in, and others have endured years of loneliness. But regardless of the specifics, God can still make something out of nothing and even restore years consumed by locusts. That is the message many need to hear from us Christians today.
Tell someone today that the thing they have been searching for is not a thing at all, but it is Jesus! Joel’s name means “the Lord is God”; his name was a proclamation of God’s greatness and authority. So too are we called to proclaim the greatness of our God to those who don’t yet know Him.
The world today looks much like it did in Joel’s day. Open rebellion against God, the diminishing of His Word, and the rejection of His will are found everywhere, even among God’s own people. But as long as God is on the throne, there is hope. There is a world around us that needs to hear that message, and they need to hear it from someone whose life has been restored by the true and living God. Make it your mission today!
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