As Locusts Swarm

"Fear not…Be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done marvelous things! For He has given you the former rain faithfully…‘So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust…You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied; And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you…Then you shall know that I am in the midst…I am the LORD your God and there is no other.’” Joel 2:21-27

The Book of Joel is akin to the neglected wallflower who waits for someone to ask her to dance only to reveal that she is one of the bells of the ball. Although Joel only has three short chapters in the entire Bible, it has some of the most beautiful principles. Our morning passage above is packed full of the most powerful promises from God. The first thing that is clear is that God wants us to be courageous…thankful…full of praise for the past things He has done. God establishes His future faithfulness by having His children look backwards at His past faithfulness. Then in one of the most powerful images He created for our imagination is the image of being swarmed by locusts…having locusts crawl all around us…being consumed by locusts. And just when we feel fear rising, He promises that whatever the locusts have eaten, He will give back. Whatever years the locusts have stolen from us He will replace them. He promises to remove the invaders and replace the dead crops with full healthy crops. It is through this process that we discover that God is in our midst…that God is who He says He is…that no other means will bring about restoration.

I began thinking about the years when my daughter was being consumed with darkness and how I felt invaded. Her darkness shrouded me in darkness, and I was terrified. My locusts were fear … emotional paralysis…guilt …shame. The locusts ate more than 8 years of our lives, but God has restored not only her life but the life of our entire family. Any broken relationships were made whole again thanks to God’s mercy and grace. Oh, how He has dealt wondrously with us! Through these eaten years, God revealed Himself in ways that anchored our faith. In those years that consumed us God was the only way home from darkness.

I know that some of you are living in the years of locusts right now. You are grieving someone whom you have lost…consuming locusts. Some of you are trying to heal from medical concerns but it’s hard…swarming locusts. Some of you are experiencing depression that has you feeling hopeless…crawling locusts. Many are watching the calendar turn from year to year as you are caring for your parent. Know this…God is working in every detail in these years of locusts. He will repay you with what was stolen…He will bring to life to what feels dead. During our years of locusts, we are more likely to see God and to experience God if we are watching for God. It is during these years…these seasons…that we know beyond everything else that God is God and will bring us through our challenging times.

“And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Joel 2:32.