JOEL 2: 25-26
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.
DAILY READING1 Corinthians 7:1-24; 1 Kings 20; Amos 4:4-13
The first clocks were invented in 4000 BC, in ancient China. Chinese teachers taught their students about time, using a simple demonstration. They would tie a rope to the ceiling of the house, with knots tied on it representing the hours. The teachers would then light a flame from the bottom of the dangling rope, so that it burnt evenly. As the flame went up on the rope, each knot on the rope that got burnt indicated the hour that had passed. However in the process of this teaching and demonstration, many houses got burnt down in those days. So the Chinese teachers resorted to using a clock made of water buckets. It worked by punching holes in a large bucket full of water, with markings representing the hours, to allow water to flow at a constant rate. Time was measured by how fast the bucket drained. The essence of these demonstrations was to teach the students that once time was gone, it could never be recovered.
It is indeed true that time is limited. Unlike money that can be saved in a bank, or gold that can be hidden in a treasure box, time cannot be saved. Money can be restored. Property can be restored, relationships can be restored but time cannot be restored. Time flies and it does not return. Years pass and you never seem to get them back.
But in Joel 2:25, God promises what looks impossible, when He says “And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm,’.
Here God is promising to restore lost time back to us. This wonderful promise meant that years of abundant harvests would follow the years of desolation brought about by the locusts. In this chapter, God’s people had suffered the complete destruction of their entire harvest through swarms of locusts. But in Joel 2:18-19, God said, “Behold I am sending to you grain, wine and oil, and you will be satisfied.’
God promised that as the nation turned to Him in repentance, He would make up for the lost years with overflow harvest.
God is by nature a Redeemer, and Jesus has paid the price for our redemption and restoration. And despite our mistakes and failures, when we turn to God, He can bring a divinely accelerated overflow that will restore lost years back to us. Such is the power of His grace and mercy .
He is the God of the second chance. And even when it feels as though you have missed the opportunity to fulfill His purpose or to step into your prophetic season, it is never too late for God. Through Divine acceleration, He can still bring His purpose and plan to come to pass in your life. Indeed nothing is impossible to God. He is faithful, He is sovereign, He is powerful. And, He is the God of the resurrection. He is also the God of divine speed. God is not only bringing restoration, but also He wants to make it come to pass speedily. And the hand of God is what engenders divine speed.
In I Kings 18:46, Elisha outran horses by divine speed.
When God’s hand comes on a man’s life, that life begins to gather speed.
And one way we can trigger divine speed is by revelation. If you want to go faster you must see clearer. It is the entrance of The Word of God that gives light.
Jeremiah 1:11-12 says ‘Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.’
When you see the word well, God is committed to hasten it to come to pass. The better you see, the quicker it delivers. Until you see it, you can’t seize it.
The capacity of your destiny is at the mercy of your light. If your light is dim, your speed will be dim; if your light is bright, your speed will be fast.
And you cannot have revelation and lose relevance. Therefore it is time for us to go for a search in The Word of God so as to encounter light that will bring speed and restoration to us.
It doesn’t matter the things you may have lost, it doesn’t matter the times of your life that may have been wasted. We serve the God of divine restoration and speed. There is nothing impossible to Him. When God is at work, you find yourself caught up in a divine move that shifts your circumstances, removes obstacles and commands progress. And as you believe His Word today, He will ignite an unstoppable momentum in your life, that will bring a definite restoration of lost time and years back to you, in Jesus Name.
PRAYER: Lord, I believe that You are able to do even the impossible in my life. I thank You for full restoration of whatever may have been lost in my life. I thank You for divine speed and acceleration that will cause me to excel throughout this year in Jesus Name.
quote
For you to enjoy victory in the Kingdom of God, you need to develop a Kingdom mindset, that thinks in line with the Word of God. – WORDBITE 222. [ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK FAITH CLASSICS ]