Joel 1:4 (NKJV) says, 'What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.'
Are you in a situation when the enemy has been trying to 'eat up all your blessings' and trying to steal, kill, and destroy God's vision and God's purpose for you?
It's like one comes after another, and the enemy is unrelenting in trying to devour all that the Lord has built in your life.
Beloved of God, if you are one of those who are going through such situation, take heart. Help is at hand. God's restoration is at hand.
In Joel 1:4 about the locusts, Joel was describing the present state of God's people at that time. They were devastated by successive swarms of locusts. First, chewing. Then, swarming. Then, crawling. And finally, consuming. At that time, Judah was experiencing this devastation. The time was extremely critical and difficult. It's like swarms and swarms, and waves after waves of devastation continued on and on against God's people. But thanks be to God this Book of Joel gave God's people much hope!
Now, this is the good news for you today as well. Whatever your situation that you may be facing at the moment, I want to encourage and assure you that there is hope, my friend. Keep looking to the Lord who is your only hope.
After all, the name 'Joel' means 'Jehovah is God', or 'Yahweh is God'. Interestingly, this constitutes a short confession of faith, very much like in the New Testament, the confession 'Jesus is Lord'.
Indeed, Yahweh is God, and Yeshua is Lord! He is the King of all kings, and the Lord of all lords! Every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess, that He is the Lord! In heaven, on earth, and under the earth! Who can withstand Him? No one!
And in Him, there is hope, and there is restoration to whatever that the enemy has destroyed. There is hope for you! The Lord is in the midst of restoring whatever that you have lost. Just do not limit Him how He's going to do it, and in what way He's going to do it.
People of God, if you ask me what is the book in the Bible that we all should read in this time and season, it would be the Book of Joel. Take some time to read it. It's not a long book. The Lord will speak to you and assure you.
This is the time He is in the midst of restoring (to you) what you have lost, and restoring (to you) what the enemy has stolen from you! Prophet Joel put it aptly here in Joel 1:19-20, 'O Lord, to You I cry out; For fire has devoured the open pastures, and a flame has burned all the trees of the field. The beasts of the field also cry out to You, for the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the open pastures.'
As you cry out to the Lord, Joel 2:18-19 says, 'Then the Lord will be zealous for His land, and pity His people. The Lord will answer and say to His people, "Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations."'
I know Prophet Joel at that time was referring this to God's people and God's land. But right now, the Lord is also speaking this to you regarding your situation.
Joel 2:21-22 says, 'Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done marvelous things! Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, and the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.'
What a promise from the Lord!
So fear not, no matter what you have been going through. And fear not, no matter what you have been hearing, or whatever news that you have been hearing at the moment. Just keep looking to the Lord. Just keep putting all your trust in the Lord. And the Lord will know how to do His part.
Joel 2:23-24 says, 'Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you - The former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.'
This is God's assurance and promise for you, no matter what you are going through at the moment. The Lord is faithful. The Lord has been faithful, the Lord is faithful, and the Lord will still be faithful to you, as long as you keep looking to the Lord, and as long as you keep surrendering, submitting, and yielding your life to the Lord.
Now, this is the key verse for today. The Lord says in Joel 2:25, "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust..."
The word 'restore' here is 'shawlam' in Hebrew. It can mean any of these: 'to make good, to make amends, to give again, to recompense, to pay back, to prosper, to make complete, to keep safe, to make peace, to reward, to make perfect, to make whole'.
As you can see here, there is a broad meaning to this word 'shawlam' or 'restore'. Yes, all those 'fruits' in your life that the enemy has destroyed, broken, or stolen, the Lord is restoring to you. Yes, for some of you, even those 'wasted years' that you have had, the Lord will know how to restore back to you all those 'wasted years'.
In short, the Lord is restoring you, and the Lord is making your life fruitful again!
In Joel 2:26-27, the Lord says, "You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame. Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God and there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame."
In Joel 2:28-29, the Lord says, "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, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days."
Indeed, in spite of all the plans of the enemy against God's will, God visions, and God's purpose for your life, the Lord is visiting you in a time like this. Get ready for dreams from the Lord. Get ready for visions from the Lord. He is pouring out His Spirit like never before.
The Spirit of the Lord is moving right now. The Spirit of the Lord will fall upon many, like you've never seen before. The Lord is visiting many all over the world, even in dreams and visions.
The Lord is visiting you, and the Lord is visiting many more all over the world, even in supernatural ways. This is the time! And He's going to open the spiritual eyes, and enlighten the spiritual eyes of many.
Now, this is not my idea or my imagination. But this is what the Scripture says. I am just saying what God says. I am just quoting from the Scripture regarding this time and season of the Lord. So my friend, take heart, and fear not. The Lord is at hand. The Lord's restoration in your life is at hand. Receive this promise of the Lord by faith, even in your situation that you are facing now. Just do not limit how God is going to do it, and in what way He is going to do it. Because His wisdom is unfathomable. His wisdom is unmeasurable. His ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Amen!
