Locusts and ancient wisdom

Miss Eagle does not wish to give offence to those of other beliefs and none. However, recently Miss Eagle was discussing a rather traumatic incident affecting a friend and wrote this. She thought afterwards that this might be of interest to others who may be living through troubled times and so decided to publish it here.

Miss Eagle is a good mate of the 8th century prophets. Loves 'em to bits - even when they're cranky and hard to live with. In the Tanakh (the Old Testament), Joel Chapter 1 is all about what the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten and what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten. Now isn't that a picture to cheer you up! Sheer yuck! But then comes Chapter 2 and I just love verses 25-27. It is all about restoration and it makes Miss Eagle's spine tingle with excitement, dear Reader:

So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust, the consuming locust, And the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.
You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the Lord your God
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And My people shall never be put to shame.
Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
And that I am the Lord your God
And there is no other.
My people shall never be put to shame.

Now, I have to say I have had this experience a few times in my life. In one case, the restoration was specific: item for item. And so unexpected. And when these things happen in life they prepare you and undergird you for the next time. The locust attacks are rather cyclical in this life - and, it seems, we will never rid ourselves of them entirely. They come out of left field, consume all before them, and we are powerless to prevent them. So I am a great believer in restoration and a goodly, godly dose of Joel Chapter 2. I find that God never wastes anything. And he ties up all the loose ends ever so neatly at the back of the tapesties which are our lives.