Scripture:
“Fear not, Earth! Be glad and celebrate! God has done great things. Fear not, wild animals! The fields and meadows are greening up. The trees are bearing fruit again: a bumper crop of fig trees and vines! Children of Zion, celebrate! Be glad in your God. He’s giving you a teacher to train you how to live right— Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of words to refresh and nourish your soul, just as he used to do. And plenty of food for your body—silos full of grain, casks of wine and barrels of olive oil.
‘I’ll make up for the years of the locust, the great locust devastation—Locusts savage, locusts deadly, fierce locusts, locusts of doom, that great locust invasion I sent your way. You’ll eat your fill of good food. You’ll be full of praises to your God, the God who has set you back on your heels in wonder. Never again will my people be despised. You’ll know without question that I’m in the thick of life with Israel, that I’m your God, yes, your God, the one and only real God. Never again will my people be despised.
And that’s just the beginning: After that—I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people: Your sons will prophesy, also your daughters. Your old men will dream, your young men will see visions’.” Joel 2:21-28 (MSG)
Perspective:
In Joel 2, the prophet, Joel, was prophesying about the Lord’s deliverance of the people of Judah. There had been a locust invasion that attacked their crops and threatened their very livelihood. God was using this event to get the people’s attention and call them to repentance. The locust invasion had been an interruption that the people were not planning on. The locusts would have eaten everything, so the hope that their crops would come to life again was nonexistent. The devastation was significant, but in the midst of despair, Joel had a message of hope in his call for repentance. If the people turned their hearts back to God, then God’s promise was to restore to the people that which had been lost. Where there had been devastation, God was promising blessing. Where there had been loss, God was promising abundance. The people were looking around at the fields of devastation and wondering how they would survive, but God was promising a future bumper crop that exceeded what they had planned. It seemed impossible and unlikely, but the miraculous work of God through their circumstances wasn’t based on their current reality. God was going to show Himself faithful to His people, as their hearts were set on Him. The promise of God, delivered through Joel, for the people of Judah even reached to the future fulfillment of God’s promise of restoration through Jesus. Not only was God wanting to meet their physical need, He was also wanting to meet their spiritual need by pouring out His Spirit on His people.
We all face seasons of life that can be challenging and even devastating. In those times, it can be tempting for bitterness to creep into our heart when we look at our loss. God’s promise to the people of Judah in the book of Joel still stands. When we turn our hearts to God, He is able to bring restoration in ways we could never accomplish ourselves. In Christ, the promise of restoration stands true. God’s promise is not to simply replace that which was lost; His promise is to display His glory through working in our lives. Furthermore, He promises to give us His Spirit to guide us in the life we live. More than even the physical fruition of His blessing, the promise that God will be near and not leave us or forsake us is something we can build our lives on. He is near; He is speaking through His Word, His people, visions, and dreams. The landscape of your life where you have experienced devastation by circumstances, people, or things can find full restoration in Jesus. No matter the circumstances you may be experiencing, God promises restoration and ultimately restoration of our lives through Jesus.
Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
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About Hona Amer
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