May 18

Losses Overcome

I will repay you for the years eaten by locusts—the swarming locust, the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust—My great army that I sent against you. — Joel 2:25 BSB

Yes, even the years we regret can be restored to us. God’s grace is so abundant that we can fill the remainder of our days with service that makes up for the lost years of sin and rebellion. The “locusts” of backsliding, worldliness, and lukewarmness are like a terrible plague to us now. Oh, how we wish they had never come near us! But the Lord, in His mercy, has taken them away, and we are now full of zeal to serve Him. Praise His name—through His grace, we can produce a harvest of spiritual growth that will cover up our past barrenness.

Through His rich grace, we can use our past mistakes to help others avoid the same pitfalls. Our past failures can teach us humility, childlike dependence on God, and a deeper spirituality. If we are more watchful, more zealous, and more tender-hearted, we can even gain from our previous losses. The years we wasted can be restored by a miracle of love. Does that seem too good to be true? Let’s believe in it and live for it, and we may yet see it happen, just as Peter became more useful after his presumption was corrected by his weakness. Lord, help us by Your grace.