I will repay you for the years
the locusts have eaten -
the great locust and
the great locust and
the young locust,
the other locusts
the other locusts
and the locust swarm ...
You will have plenty to eat,
until you are full,
and you will praise the name
of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders
for you.
~ Joel 2:25-26 ~
This has long been a favorite passage, a gift of bountiful hope from God during a season of extended illness. I had begged Him to somehow redeem those fallow, empty, terrifying months of depression and anxiety so the suffering wouldn't have been for nothing.
And He did. Bountifully.
Click here for my story.
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This past year has produced similar sagas for many. Yes, some have sailed through the pandemic with minor inconveniences and no major challenges to speak of.
Be sure to thank God you were spared.
But many are in recovery mode from the seemingly endless isolation, lack of human touch, limited options for worshiping, shopping, traveling, serving others, educating their children, caring for the aging and unwell. The endless wearing of masks, a stressful search for an available vaccine, and the inability to be with loved ones during times of illness and death have left even the most valiant of souls emotionally exhausted.
The waning of comforting routines, absence of traditions, inability to celebrate milestones, and an endless, traumatic 24/7 news feed have left us a bit shell-shocked. Those biblical locusts gnawed and chomped right down to the nubs, sapping their targets of strength, growth, and vibrancy. And like the sorely damaged plants, the battered soul can't help but wonder if she'll ever recover fully and launch back to living life to the fullest again.
But God.
While circumstances may have left us running on empty, The Redeemer has been doing His work deep inside the fallow places of our lives. He's been on the move comforting, restoring, teaching, and growing His beloved followers. He's enabled us to hang in for the long haul, to become a whole lot more creative, resourceful, and appreciative for all we took for granted.
In the midst of trial, we've gleaned wisdom that we might never have learned if life had gone smoothly. We've received surprise graces and miracles that kept on coming in the midst of it all.
Yet this I call to mind and
therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord's great love
we are not consumed,
for His compassions never fail,
They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.
I say to myself,
"The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for Him."
The Lord is good to those
whose hope is in Him,
to the one who seeks Him;
It is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
~ Lamentations 3:21-26 ~
The enemy of our souls came to kill and destroy, but we serve a Redeemer who specializes in the tough stuff. And as we offer Him our weary heavy-laden souls, controlling tendencies, demands for answers, the grief of what's been lost, He will resurrect us in ways that give us fresh perspective, renewed hope, and surprising opportunities to share His blessed story with others.
For Jesus' sake.
Linda
We've been wrestling through our numerous pandemic sorrows and concerns, anxieties and uncertainties since March of 2020. They're all carefully gathered here. Today, let's talk about where we've seen God at work ... the victories won, lessons gleaned, mercies given, fresh perspectives created.
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meetin' & greetin' with
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