winds of change ...

as quickly as trials can seem to descend upon our lives, they can be just as swiftly - and completely - removed.

the egyptians were being afflicted with plague after plague because pharaoh refused to free the israelites from their slavery. the remnants from some of the plagues lingered, like the blood and the frogs, the death of livestock, the boils, and the hail. the land stunk, people and animals died, and they lost their crops. but there are two plagues that specifically mention being completely removed - the flies and the locusts.

and the LORD changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the red sea. not a locust was left anywhere in egypt. (exodus 10:19)

that doesn’t mean that the damage they inflicted did not have long-term ramifications. it says that locusts covered the ground until it was black, and that nothing green was left in the land when they were finished. but in this case, God answered pharaoh’s prayer for the plague to be removed. with something as seemingly simple as shifting winds, the thing that brought such widespread devastation on the land was removed. the effects remained, but the tangible reminder was gone.

and although He’s speaking about different circumstances, i don’t think it’s an accident that in joel 2:25, God promises “i will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.” even when we feel that a situation is too far gone to be redeemed - that there has been far too much damage done - God is in the business of restoring lives to their previous glory. joel goes on to say:

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. then you will know that I am in israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed. (vv. 26-27)

wouldn’t it be just like the Lord to allow all sorts of troubles, just so He can blow them away with one tiny poof from His gargantuan lungs, proving that there is truly no one else like Him. okay, that may seem a bit arbitrary. we’re not little pawns in an eternal chess game where God does whatever He wants with us just so He can come out on top.

but the point is, when we’re so buried in difficult circumstances that it doesn’t seem possible to recover from them, the Lord takes pity on His people (joel 2:18). and He promises not once, but twice, that His people will not be put to shame. ultimately, it is not our name, but His on the line, and He is intent on His glory being made evident. so when facing a season of unparalleled adversity, we can rest assured knowing that God is accomplishing His purposes.

but I have raised you [pharaoh] up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. (exodus 9:16)

God revealed Himself to pharaoh just as much through sending the plagues as He did through taking them away. in our lives, He makes Himself known through the difficult times, as well as through the redeeming of those times.

take heart - a strong west wind is coming.