Joel 2:25a, “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,...”
Sometimes we think of this verse in relation to material things: jobs, health, home, relationships, possessions, etc. But perhaps it has a deeper meaning as well.
Have you lost sight of your value, your self-worth, your confidence, your dreams and hopes to find they have - somewhere along life’s way - been replaced with feelings of worthlessness, fear and hopelessness? Take heart! There is One Who can bring restoration to that which has been taken from us - by whatever means - in a greater measure than that which we originally had. There is hope and that hope begins with the healing power of Jesus Christ.
Just as the destruction of our inner self was accomplished bit by bit and piece by piece, so our healing will be accomplished little by little as a new foundation is built within, one not built on self, but upon Jesus Christ, our Savior: our Healer, our Comforter, our Counselor, our ‘repairer of breaches.’
The restored us will become an instrument that can be used of God in far greater measures than what we could ever have accomplished before our reconstruction. So take heart! The ‘end’ of our ‘self’ can be, in reality, the beginning of a powerful work in our lives - IF we allow it to become so - that will not only transform us but be used by our loving, merciful and powerful God to influence the lives of others... for Him. It was not a wasted endeavor but used of God for His glory and honor, our good and growth, drawing others toward Him. The locust lost!!
