“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)
“What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locust have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locust have left other locusts have eaten.” (Joel 1:4)
As we grow older, we mature to the very essence of life. We reflect on our past deeds and practices only to conclude that all is vanity. King Solomon’s thoughts led him down that path. It happens when we realise we were doing our own thing rather than accomplishing the plans and programmes that God had willed for us to achieve on planet earth. Suddenly, we are conscious of the volume of water that has run under the bridge and we are stunned at how much time we have wasted ‘chasing the wind.’
At our life’s ebb, we entertain thoughts of failure, inadequacy and a sense of useless achievements – having built empires that are bound to crumble. We begin to question our contribution to life as a whole and our passage on earth. My assignment is to encourage you in the Lord. He says; ‘All is not lost!’ You will recoup! Free yourself of the guilt and the torment that you have not fulfilled the task for which you were born into this world. God is saying in very clear terms that he would restore all the wasted years on your account when you were supposed to have accomplished his budding but rather had given your personal agenda priority.
You see, only the things of God can resist the vagaries of time and weather. Only God’s work can stand the test; all others will either rot with time or burn to ashes when tested. Like silver and gold, God’s work comes out brighter and stronger even after going through fire.
But take courage all is not lost. Jacob went down that road also when he found out, sadly at that, that twenty years of his life working for his uncle Laban were wasted. It was at the twenty-first year that he succeeded in establishing himself and put to use the intelligence that God had given him. His complaint: “You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care. The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?” (Genesis 30:30) God then made Jacob recover all those years that were wasted. He became very rich with livestock, overnight as it were.
If you are discouraged perhaps it is because you are listening to the voice of the devil who does not want you to add up to anything. Actually, not until we realise that we did not come into this world on our own, to carry out our own projects will we overcome the feeling of defeat and discouragement over the fact that we have nothing to show for the lack of progress made.
All the wealth we have laboured for amount to nothing because in our brief lifespan of 120 years maximum, we cannot squander the huge sums of money we have heaped in our bank accounts, stocks or savings. Our Lord Jesus admonished that we must think of where we shall be spending eternity and lodge our reserves there. In heaven nothing rots, thieves cannot get access either in order to steal. “But store up for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:20-21)
Getting our priorities right is important in our walk with God. We cannot outsmart him, rather we must submit to him so that he would direct our paths, lead and guide us. Certain malpractices that we have cultivated tend to give us an edge over our peers but not for long. With time, it becomes apparent that it was not a good idea after all.
Nothing in our power can turn back the hands of time, only God can. God is supreme and he will always have the final say. The restoration begins with our acknowledgement of the fact that we have bungled or have gone astray and need to be rescued. It would require humility on our part to reconcile with our Maker for he will graciously pardon. Our years on earth were meant to be fruitful, organised and focussed - a straight shot. Needless to look back with regret at our shortcomings though, God has worked it all out from the beginning of time so that each of us would play his/her role and take an honourable exit. Let us not bemoan our past either; rather it is time for us to make amends and make a comeback.
A swarm of locust have the capacity to devour acres of greenery in a few minutes and that is what the devil will do if you owe your wealth, fame, riches and prosperity to him. The devil will take back what you have acquired from him. But trust in the Lord to restore you a hundred fold and you will bounce back on your feet. God’s final word: “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten, - the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm – my great army that I sent among you. 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) What a mighty God we serve!!!!!!
