The Year 2010

Friday, January 11, 2010
This New Year

Joel 2:25 “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.” ESV

Interesting passage, God was speaking to a nation that had experienced the devastating Year’s of their own disobedience which left them desolate and ravaged. The process of Restoration begins with a word of hope, I will restore.

I want us to consider not years but a year, 2009. I wonder what that year looked like for you. I know for me personally, Transforming Life Ministries and others 2009 was a year of testing. A year filled with great challenges, because of the recession and the economy many individuals lost their jobs, homes, life savings and some were tested in many others ways. Here is Joel we have had the alarm and the assembly; now we have the answer from the Lord. What faith Joel had—“The Lord will answer.” God promised to drive away the army of locusts and restore the pastures again. In fact, He will give them such “bumper crops” that they will more than make up for the years wasted by the locusts (2:25). He will do this, not because they deserve it, but that they and the heathen nations might know that He is the Lord (v. 27).

In the restoration process we must consider “what did the enemy seek to ravage or devour in my life in 2010? If it was health then God wants to heal you, if it was your marriage then God wants to restore your marriage or possibly your finances. The word “restore” has more a meaningful definition in Hebrew than our English language, in the English language it means to bring back to its original existence, but in the Hebrew it means to complete, to finish, full, to make good, to make restitution. God makes good, he finishes what he started, makes complete and when he does, he just doesn’t bring back to originality but beyond, he promises it’s better than the first time.

Job was tested and seemed to have lost a great deal, but at the conclusion of the book Job had twice as much as when he began. Samson killed many Philistines in his life time but at the conclusion he killed more philistines in that one moment than he had his entire life time. When God fed the multitude he did not just meet their need but there were 12 baskets leftover. Why? because God wants us to know that he is not only enough but that he is more than enough.

You are just not a conqueror but more than a conqueror. This truth is illustrated by a story of two boxers were set for a championship fight. As the fight unravels both boxers seemed to be evenly matched through eleven rounds until the twelfth round, the defending champion came out this final round with a fury and knocked out his opponent. The judge raises his arms indicating a technical knockout and the champ raises the championship belt and gives a wave of victory. After the fight in the dressing room the champ with eyes swollen and lip bleeding is given the prize check he then looks at his wife and says here honey take the check. Now here is the truth, the champ is a conqueror but his wife is more than a conqueror.

God declares, when he restores you will have more than you had to begin with. God does not only desire to fill your cup but he wants your cup to spill over, to bless you with a blessing so incredible you will not have room enough to receive, he not only wants to answer your prayers but he wants the answer in a manner that will boggle your mind.

God has already confirmed this word to me personally. The last Sunday service in December we had a married couple who were former members of TLM quite a number of years ago whose job relocated them to another state quite a number of years ago. There is one particular pastor’s conference I’ve desired to attend for the past few years but for one reason or another we have not been able to go. I received a call for this couple several days after this particular service informing us that they felt led to provide a way for us to attend this conference which is in their home state and was wondering if we desired to go. My immediate thought was this word I sensed for this coming year; in the message contemporary language it says “I'll make up for the years of the locust”. May God begin to prepare your heart for everything he will make up and complete for you this year?