The Year of the Locust

Don't you love when God speaks to you through a song, when that song leads you to a passage of scripture, and when that scripture is exactly what is needed to encourage your soul? Yeah... me too! The song in question is "The Year of the Locust" by Andrew Osenga* and I hope you can take a couple minutes to soak it in, because it's simply beautiful. One line in the chorus says of God "He will restore the years the locust have eaten." I had to google what this lyric was referencing, since I'm not a biblical scholar (yet). It comes from Joel 2, and my goodness, this passage is wonderful! 

 "I will restore to you the years that the 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 you God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame. And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." (Joel 2:25-28, ESV)

 I found this scripture to be so applicable to the season I'm in. The season we're all in, probably. With so much turmoil in the world and in our individual lives, it's easy to feel that this year has been eaten away. By the pandemic. By racial injustice. By political turmoil. By hatred. By fear. By discontentedness. By waiting and not knowing for how long. 

From what I understand, the prophet Joel's purpose in writing was to direct Israel back to repentance, back to a deep, heart-felt worship of Yahweh. It was meant to remind them of their sins against God. But it was also meant to remind them of how incredibly gracious and loving God is! This nation had revolted hard against Him, and God had sent hardship upon them to help them return to righteousness. (Sounds a little like our nation, am I right?) 

But the hardship was not the final word. Praise God that His judgement and truthful wrath are constantly giving way to His incredible love! The hardship is real. The locusts have eaten the years away. Things have been destroyed, like, really destroyed, past the point of us fixing them by our feeble efforts. And God has done these things, which is sometimes even harder to grasp... how God can send armies against us and break us down in ways we never imagined. We are so prideful and stubborn; how else would we realize our desperation for Him, and for His Spirit? In light of this passage, even in these hardships, we can rejoice in the deep love of the Father. We can rejoice in the fact that not only has He made a way back to peace, but He redeems the years lost in the wasteland. Maybe this won't look like we expect. After all, we don't see things like God does. While we would like a nice, clear exchange: a new job for a lost one, a nice house after a foreclosure, etc, maybe God has things much deeper and more fulfilling. A rejuvenated Spirit, making the dead alive and the old new.  

We are in the Year of the Locust. We are in a season of exile as we await our Lord. But even now, we are not alone, even compared to ancient Israel, the audience of the book of Joel. God has already poured out His Spirit on our flesh! Yahweh has kept this promise just like He will keep them all. He will restore the years to His children and we will not be put to shame. 

For His glory and our good. 

So be encouraged, friends. The mercy of our Lord will never run dry. 

* Want to check out the song?? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF_IakLScvM