Reading Passage: Joel 1: 1-20
“… the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm – my great army that I sent among you.” Joel 2:25
Something very miserable happened in the life of Israel, that had never happened in their days or in the days of their forefathers! “What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten” (Joel 1:2-5).
Who is behind this? Devil, the adversary? To their, rather everybody’s, surprise, God declared that he himself was behind the calamity. “The locusts were my army,” said God! “I was trying to talk to you… but you were not listening.” Many times disasters are from the Lord, even though we fail to recognize it as God’s language
An isolated house on a hilltop was on fire. Seeing this from afar, people rushed to the place. The main door was opened. They pulled and threw all the valuables out of the house and, to their surprise, found a room locked from the inside with all the family members watching a movie on the Television. Coming out of the room and seeing all their valuables thrown out, they shouted: “Who gave you the authority to throw away our valuables…?” One man showed them the fire and said, “It was not our desire Sir, but your house is on fire”
“Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!” said God. (Joel 1:5) Why are you not even weeping? Are you drunk? Awake!
Yes! People are drunk with money, position, philosophy, pride… They fail to read God’s language! Disasters are natural for them! God says… It is I who brought the disaster. It is I who threw out all your valuables. We cry… Why God? Why do you break me? Why do you take away mine? The answer is simple… You are heading towards eternal fire!
God sends locusts, His “great army” to teach you a lesson. He allows disasters in your life to save you from greater disasters. It’s better that you learn the lessons early. So start looking at the happenings in your life as God’s language. Respond to it spiritually.
Prayer: Help me Lord to understand your language. Purify me through your works in me.
Further reading: Isaiah. 59: 9-11; Deuteronomy.. 28 1-29
