I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten. (Joel 2:25)
When I look back over the years, there are some seasons in my life that, if I could, I would like to do over again. Yet I am reminded that God has promised to restore even the years the locusts have eaten. And they have eaten more than their fair share!
I am sure we all feel that way from time to time. When we do, we need to cry out to Jesus and ask Him to rescue us from such “stinking thinking.” We must remember how limited our perspective of life is. We are like a schoolchild peering through a quarter-sized hole in a wooden fence. Not only do we see only a tiny portion of what God is doing in our lives, we understand even less than that! That is why we must always remember that Jesus Christ is all about redemption, not do-overs! Jesus is busily engaged in redeeming all the time that we think was wasted, because there is no such thing as wasted time. God is working all things together for His stated purpose of conforming us to the likeness of His Son.
Now, I recognize that all of us have a past that is littered with losses. There have been painful seasons, fruitless seasons, selfish seasons, and prodigal seasons in our lives. But regardless of where this message finds you today, you must forsake regret and look to your Redeemer, who has promised to make all things new, including you. He is at work in you this very minute, sharpening and shaping you into His image. Live in that confidence, Christian, and that confidence will rise to hope.
Remember, Jesus is Lord, and He has made a seemingly impossible promise: He will restore the one thing we simply cannot save or store up – time. Let us be clear: the lost season will not be restored, but the lost Savior will be. Jesus will deepen our dependence upon Him. Jesus will heighten our hope in Him. Jesus will strengthen our surrender to Him. We do not need Jesus to redo anything in our lives. We simply need Him to do what He has promised: to redeem and restore the years the locusts have eaten.
Oh, what a Savior we have in Jesus!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 