“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you” – Joel 2:25 (KJV).
The word “Total” means entire, whole, complete, full, comprehensive and overall and the word “Restoration”means the action of returning something to a former owner, place, or condition. It also means reinstatement, reinstitution, re-establishment, reinstallation, rehabilitation, return to status quo, putting back, replacing, reconditioning, rebuilding, reconstruction, refurbishment and compensation.
In the carpentry world, there is a refinishing product that can restore old furniture to its former luster. You can restore old wood furniture by giving it a good cleaning with an orange or lemon-oil cleaner. You spray or wipe on the oil cleaner, let it sit for ten to fifteen minutes and then wipe off. Do this two to three times, allowing the furniture to dry completely between applications. At the end the old wood furniture will return back to its original luster, sparkle or glow.
If a piece of old wood furniture can be restored to its former state, how much more a human being God created in His Own Image and Likeness and donated His Power of Attorney for him to exercise dominion over all other creatures. God is a refurbisher and Has all it takes to restore to you all that you have lost in the past years. Your ministry, career, job, marriage, joy of salvation, talents, connections, finances, etc can be restored back to you by God.
In the days of the Prophet Joel the nation of Judah faced a big, bad bug – a plague of swarming of grasshopper-like locust. A blight of locust swept across the southern kingdom of Judah. The locust devastated fig trees, and barley fields, and vineyards. They consumed the crops that dotted the countryside, and crippled the economy.
A locust is a tropical grasshopper with strong powers of flight. It is a dull-yellow, or red colored insect – like a short, plump grasshopper. It is about three inches long, and have two antenna another inch or so long. Locust travel at tremendous speeds, and they are most known for their ferocious appetite. A swarm of locust resembles a black cloud moving over the landscape. The insects strip every green plant of their vegetation. They leave nothing behind. Locust will even eat the bark off the trees. The locust have a nickname… they are called “hunger incarnate.” Old Testament scholar, Charles Feinberg, writes, “Locust have been known to devour every green herb and ever blade of grass in an area of almost 90 square miles, so that the ground gave the appearance of having been scorched by fire.”
And this is what happened to Judah in the days of Joel. Not termites or centipedes – but locusts were the culprits. Joel 1:4 describes the total devastation that occurred around Jerusalem, “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.” The lush, green landscape had been ravaged.
Remember America’s dust bowl days of the mid-30s. Drought, pestilence, and high winds devastated the continent’s heartland. Midwestern farmers upped and left the land where they were born – where relatives were buried. They moved west in search of survival. Formerly rich, fertile farmland became worthless dust.
This was the condition of the land of Judah, in the days of the Prophet Joel… and interestingly enough this picture also resembles the condition of many people’s spiritual life. Similar phenomena can occur in a person’s life. Drought creates parched ground… And big, bad bugs eat away your hard labour for many years – your innocence – your joy -your contentment – your faith – your anointing as a preacher – your peace of mind – your wealth – your business – your marriage – your talents – your ministry – your gifts from the Holy Spirit. There are locusts in life that eat up opportunities… and dry up time… and gnaw at our conscience… and wreck relationships… and chew away our reputation…
There are four types of locust mentioned – the chewing locust, the swarming locust, the crawling locust, and the consuming locust. Some Bible scholars interpret these phrases as different insects. Other people understand them as references to various stages in the growth of a locust. But the point here is that locust comes in various types. And the same is true of the locust in our lives… Difficult circumstances come from different sources.
It may surprise you, but at times God Himself sends the locust into our lives. He allows trials and testing. This was case with the locust in Joel’s day. In chapter 1 God called them, “My army.” The trouble the nation had experienced was a wake-up call from God. Trials teach us vital lessons. God uses them to stretch and strengthen our faith.
Other locusts in your life are a result of the evil in the world. Persecution, abuse, disease, spiritual attacks are all the aftermath of Adam’s sin – and these evils are still around. We can’t escape them. In fact, God uses this evil world to teach us to trust in His Spirit. Through faith we learn to overcome the locust.
And some locust just swarm in from nowhere. There’s no good explanation for them – or better yet, the reason is hidden from our narrow, earthbound perspective… Surely, God has a reason, but as in the story of Job, He doesn’t always communicate it to us.
But you’ve got to admit – most of the time the locust in your life aren’t coming from God – nor are they the result of evil in the world – and they certainly aren’t swarming out of nowhere – Hey, the locust are your own fault. They’re the result of some sin in your life. When you think back on the damage that’s been done – the opportunities wasted – the blessings squandered – the hurt and pain you’ve caused yourself and others… You’ve got to confess, more often than not, it’s because of my own sin. You can’t blame it on anybody but you! Sin always has consequences. Galatians 6:7 reminds us, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” You don’t sow apple seeds, and get pear trees or grapevines – you get an apple tree. It’s a law that can’t be violated. It holds true in the natural world, and in the spiritual world. God is not mocked – a person will always reap what they sow.
If you chose to sin against God, you’re sowing seeds that will eventually sprout trouble and heartache. Those seeds may not come up tomorrow, or next month, or even next year – you don’t reap in the same season that you sow – but those seeds will sprout.
Let me ask you today, what are your regrets? May be a failed marriage, business or relationship? Or mistakes of the past years? Or the pain you’ve caused the people you love? Or the pain of lost opportunities? Or a chance to witness for Christ you let slip away? Or a loss of grace and anointing you carry? Or a business opportunity you didn’t have faith enough to take? Or a special prompting from God that would’ve deepen your faith – or taught you His Word – or given you a place to serve… but you ignored it!
Well, if you have a few regrets, let me share with you an exciting promise – a thrilling promise. It comes straight from the throne of God. There’s not a more encouraging promise in the entire Bible, than Joel 2:25. God says to His people then and now, “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust…” Catch the implication – it doesn’t matter what caused the damage… The reason for your loss is irrelevant to the restoration God wants to work. The locust might be the result of God’s trial, or the evil in the world, or some unknown reason, or even your past sin – but no matter its cause… If your life belongs to God, He promises you a total restoration.
Look at what this meant for the Jewish nation, verse 26. God tells them through the Prophet Joel, “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.” Imagine, looking over ravaged and barren fields, then reading this verse. God promises the impossible. In the end they’ll eat in plenty and be satisfied.
Yes, years of prosperity and happiness had been lost to the locust. Look in the annals of history, and you’ll see that there’ve been plagues of locust that lasted up to 20 years. Two decades got chewed up and spit out. But God promises you – in the amount of time you have left – to bless you with a bumper crop of blessing that will be more than make up for whatever you’ve lost.
I pray in the name of our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ that you shall begin to experience total restoration in your life from now on in the Matchless Name of Jesus, Amen.
Rev. Chidi Okoroaofor is the
General Superintendent
Assemblies of God Nigeria
