I'm 76 years old and I often look back over my life and remember all the times that God blessed me by putting me in the right place at the right time, connected me with the right people for that place and time, provided all the resources to be successful at that time and in that place. I remember how that time after time I blew it. I forgot that it was God and not me. I turned from the right people He placed in my life to those who I choose, and many of them were the wrong people. I took God's blessings as an occasion to engage in satisfying the flesh.
When I look back, I think about all the time that I wasted. I think about what my life would have been if I had just remembered what my parents and grandparents were teaching me when they took me to church and insisted that I read the Bible and become involved in church activities. I think about what it would look like if I had just been listened and been obedient to them and to God.
I think about all the time I wasted over the years and, if I'm honest, I sometimes become discouraged and wonder if I've wasted too much time.
If you've ever wondered or even now are wondering if you've wasted too much time this post is for you.
By Debbie McDaniel, Crosswalk.com Writer
"I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten. You will have plenty... and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Then you will know... that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other." Joel 2:25-27
If we’ve lived long enough, we know this to be true… sometimes, life is hard. It doesn’t always go our way. Things don’t always work out in our timing. And often, it seems we get hit from all sides. Problems can leave us spinning, wondering why we didn’t see it coming.
Days, months, even years can go by. We look back and wonder how it all went so fast, yet seemed so slow when we trudged through the difficulties. And though we might try our best to live our lives in a way that honors God, it doesn’t erase the fact that we live in a fallen world. We’re constantly face to face with so many battles - hardship, struggles, broken relationships, illness, and our own weaknesses too.
In the midst of all that, we may sometimes feel like we’ve lost time, missed opportunities, or blown chances along the way. We may struggle with feeling as if we’ve walked through too many broken years of pain. Like God could never work through that stuff, it’s just too messy, or too difficult.
But the good news is this: there’s still hope. For He alone is our:
- Hope-giver.
- Restorer.
- Redeemer.
- Healer.
- Friend.
God can restore all that’s been stolen.
He knows our way, He is close, and He’s working far beyond what we can fully see.
There’s a new season up ahead, don’t give up. If we woke up this morning, then God’s not finished with us yet, there’s still good in store.
- He is able.
- He is faithful.
He is greater than anything we face in this life, and much bigger than our own brokenness or weakness.
Keep moving forward in His grace and power.
Intersecting Faith & Life: If you need God to redeem your time and restore the years the “locusts have eaten,” through the difficulties or hard circumstances you’ve faced, bring it before Him today. All of it. Ask Him for His power to work mightily through all you have faced, bringing good and renewed strength for this next season still in store. God alone brings hope, choose to focus on all the blessing that He can bring from the struggle. He is able to turn it around to work in your favor, and for His greater glory.