Fit for a King
For those who love the Lord, He promises: I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten. * The locusts gnawed their way through many years of my youth, but this promise always struck me as meant for someone else. Surely this promise was intended to soothe the ones subjugated to evil through the misfortune of miserable parents, extreme poverty, or through some form of victimhood.
And what a beautiful promise. A someday promise. Like a voucher for wonders that can be redeemed only later. It couldn’t apply to the rebellious willing participants of disobedience, self-will, and defiance. Like me.
But God delights in those who scurry for cover beneath His spreading love. He greets each of us with comfort, warmth, and grace, because He loved us while we were unlovable. His protection is security beyond any stonework, tunnel, or mountain of gold. He loves me. He loved me while I denied Him. He waited with patience for me to return to His arms.
And now I understand that the years the locusts ate have already been returned to me. I live with a simple peace in my heart that, indeed, surpasses all my understanding. I know a singular joy that rules in my soul.
Jesus loves me. Because of that fact, I am fit for a King.
* Joel 2:25