“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten —
the great locust and the young locust,
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;
never again will my people be shamed.
Joel 2:25-26, NIV
The visiting missionary who offered our sermon Sunday said that farmers in South Africa today still dread the locust year. When a swarm descends, the whole crop can be gone in a day. If the famers endure that great loss, however, if they find a way to press on and not give up, the following years are the most plentiful the land ever experiences. The bodies of the dead locusts decompose to become fertilizer for the new seed. The harvest generated by the locust year more than compensates for the loss.
This is the God we follow. He repays for the locust years. He specializes in resurrection. Our losses are not too great for Him to overcome. Take heart, friend; take heart, O my soul: plenty and praise are coming.