Joel 2:25-27 (Message) ‘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
While in worship this past Sunday, I was thinking about the years that depression has seemed to rob me off. This verse from Joel came to my mind.
At first it was just the part about God repaying the years the locust have eaten. But looking it up today, I’m getting more out of it. He sent them? Was I despised? Set me back on my heels in wonder? What?
Yes, The Lord does let bad things happen. One of my pet peeves is when people say that God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. It doesn’t say that in His Word. It does say He won’t let us be tempted beyond what we can bear, but He still shows us a way out, not force us. I truly believe, and have experienced many times, that He gives us more that we can handle SO WE LEARN TO TRUST IN HIS STRENGTH AND NOT OUR OWN. I could not handle the depression, even though I tried. Nor could I just ignore it. I don’t really understand if He sent it, or just allowed it to happen, either way it came. I’ve learned to trust Him, to know that He picks me up out of the pit no matter how many times I end up in it, and to understand this world is temporary.
I think despised might be too strong a word. I did, many times, feel like I was a let down. I’d take on projects and not complete them. I’d say I’d be somewhere but not end up making it. OK, those things still happen, but they’ll become less and less.
God does so many wondrous things. Little and big. He truly does speak to me, and I get that not a lot of people experience or understand that. It amazes me when I think back of the little things He’s said to me, mostly just reminding me how much I’m loved, regardless. I’m amazed by things while I’m driving, while I’m sleeping, while I’m working and when I’m worshiping. I see His works in the smallest flower and in the biggest galaxies, and in my life which falls somewhere above all else in His eyes.
How will He repay those years? I have no idea! I expect to continually learn from them, to use them to help others, and never take for granted a single moment of the good years. I’m sure He’ll blow me away with things and events in the future.
oh, Lord, bring it on! 🙂
Bragging on the Lord 