Skip to main content

Locusts: Why We Should Obey the Lord in Times of Devastation



Growing up Baptist, we were taught at a young age all about the plagues in Egypt. Bible characters cut out of felt were stuck on an easel as a visual aid in Sunday School. When we talked about the locusts, I always imagined disgusting bugs more like a cicada/flying cockroach hybrid. Especially since it was the eighth plague. The Egyptians had already suffered through blood, frogs, gnats, flies, boils and more, so locusts had to be horrid. When I found out that a locust was a grasshopper, I was quite disappointed, and then a little ashamed that I was an adult by the time I figured it out. I mean, in the realm of disgusting bugs, grasshoppers aren't high on the list. Doodlebugs, ladybugs, butterflies and fireflies are at the bottom of the list of disgusting bugs, and crickets and grasshoppers are right above all the cute bugs. Seriously, how much damage could a grasshopper do?

Then, I saw it for myself. Several years ago, we had a grasshopper infestation in our area. Those little suckers ate everything in my yard. Flowers, trees, leaves, grass--if it was alive, the grasshoppers ate it. I remember walking out to the back yard and wondering how in the world all those grasshoppers got there and how they had managed to eat so much vegetation. The tree in our back yard was eaten down to the bark. Then I knew the devastation locusts can cause, and some passages in the Bible took on new meaning.

At one point or another in our lives, we will be faced with devastation. It could be a natural disaster, or the loss of a child. A car wreck or a divorce. A parent dying or a job loss. The Bible never promises that we will be free from heartbreak and devastation, but it does tell us how to handle those moments where we're not sure if we will make it through.

The book of Joel tells of a devastated land with swarming locusts. People were dying from starvation as the locusts gorged themselves. Joel calls the wicked to repent and put on sackcloth to end the pestilence that has overcome the land. Joel implores the people to "'Return to the LORD your God,' Joel cried, 'for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.'" (Joel 2:13)

God is a just God, and He will punish sin. But at the same time, for those who repent and turn away from their sin, God offers restoration. I'm not saying every time we face a devastation that it is God's punishment for our sin. What I am saying is that when we face times of devastation, searching our hearts for sin helps lead us to the road of healing and restoration.

Joel 2:21 says, "Do not be afraid, land of Judah, be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things!" In times of devastation, God calls us to be glad and rejoice. Many times, being glad and rejoicing is the last thing we want to do. I want to wallow in the pain. I want to cry. I want to be sad. I want to just stay in bed. But in Joel, when the people obey God, He restores the pastures, the trees, the vineyards. He brought rain. He brought the harvest.

Joel 2:25 goes on to say, "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten...you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you...Then you will know...that I am the Lord your God." What an absolutely wonderful promise to us in times of devastation. Once God has brought us through a season of devastation, it makes it easier to face other trials and tribulations, because we know that God will heal us, He will restore us; He is the Lord my God.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jesus Would Advocate for Civil Disobedience

In March, executive orders from governors across the country forced us to stay home, to close schools and churches and to shut down private businesses. Businesses were classified as either "essential" or "non-essential." All businesses deemed "non-essential" were forced to close. This included markets, clothing stores, boutiques, dine-in restaurants, and beauty salons. State parks, city parks, beaches, walking trails, lakes, and other wide open spaces were closed as well. Many people feel that the "social distancing," as it has come to be known, and stay at home executive orders violate their constitutional rights, such as our first amendment right to freely exercise our religion, our right to peaceably assemble, and that we shall not be deprived of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Some of the people who feel their rights have been violated have decided to exercise their First Amendment right to protest. Some have even chosen
3 comments
Read more

Covert Red Flags: The Real Things You Should Be Looking Out For in Relationships

Your relationship with your spouse should be the closest human relationship you ever have. As we are dating, we are assessing whether or not that person could potentially fit into our inner circle. This causes us to be on high alert for red flags. Most red flags are obvious--lack of communication, anger issues, irresponsibility, controlling behavior, abuse, etc. A quick Google search will bring up list upon list of red flags we should look out for. Being rude to waitstaff, not making your relationship public, not caring about XYZ, stone walling, gaslighting, and more can all be found on most lists. But what about the covert red flags? Those things that are less obvious. My first marriage taught me to look out for the overt red flags like the ones found in every advice column. My second marriage taught me to look out for covert red flags, ones that I never even realized were red flags until I could look back. The entire time we dated, I kept looking for the overt red fla
2 comments
Read more

Because of Who I Am

Someone posted on Facebook the other day the following: Why would you fight for someone who clearly doesn't want you? Please let them go. You are valuable, just not to them. I thought about it for a minute, because I indeed fought for my husband when he clearly didn't want me. I fought for our marriage, even when he had zero interest in making our marriage work. He had already checked out and told me point-blank that he just didn't want to work on our marriage, but yet I fought on my knees before the Lord. Throughout the first few months of our separation, I prayed day-in and day-out. I beseeched the Lord to intercede. I rebuked Satan, and I prostrated myself before the Lord God Almighty. I went to therapy, and I watched sermons online. I listened to every Jimmy Evans podcast I could find. I journaled and devoured God's Word. I wrote my husband scriptures and prayers daily. I soon filled a 100-page journal front and back. Shortly after he left in June
Post a Comment
Read more