Seven years ago, two of my grandsons suddenly lost their father in death. I vividly remember driving away from their house with Izac, the oldest, sitting in his car seat and hearing him break the silence saying, “my daddy died”. I flinched. Daddy’s death cut a deep scar in his mind and emotions that will never go away. Over the last 7 years, especially the boys and their mother have learned to accept and live with those scars.
I have six more grandchildren who fortunately did not experience the pain of losing a dad. However, they along with millions of others have encountered different distressing things that also cut deeply into their psyche as well. The pandemic we’ve been going through is leaving its mark on millions around our globe. Scores have lost their businesses, jobs, familial and friend relationships, and dreams while others have lost their childhood innocence through physical or sexual abuse or a sundry of other tragic experiences. Common to all, it feels like their losses are forever.
The Hebrews’ relationship with God was similar to that an adultery filled marriage. God’s people repeatedly committed spiritual adultery by worshipping heathen gods. To bring them back to His loving protection and provision, He allowed them to feel consequential, painful losses in the form of invasions, droughts and plagues (some like our pandemic) to wake them up to their self-destructive choices. In the prophet Joel’s day God sent swarms of giant locust that devoured their crops to the point it ruined their fields bringing drought to their land. He still loved them in that condition and reached out to them promising, “The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. 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.” (Joel 2:24-25, ESV).
I so admire Moses who, while living at ground zero of the magnetism of power and luxurious treasures of the world empire of that day, voluntarily forsook all those privileges because he ..reckoned that to suffer scorn for the Messiah was worth far more than all the treasures of Egypt… (Hebrews 11:26, GNB). Ask yourself, how hard would it be for me to make such a drastic decision when surrounded by wealth, popularity, position, and power? To make that kind of choice in that environment would require very sober thought. It would amount to doing what Jesus did when He chose to deny Satan’s offer of all the kingdoms of this world and their glory. (Mathew 4:8-9) Moses and the humanity of Jesus were convinced God the Father is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Yes, it requires a deep genuine trust in God’s love and power for you to put to rest what you have lost. God’s plan for your life didn’t end when you experienced your debilitating loss. Instead, His plan is for you is close the door to the past loss and open the door He has placed before you and enter into His restoration. It will be the completion of what He had been preparing for you to enjoy before you encountered your loss. We learn that from how He restored the serious losses in the lives of Job, Moses, Joseph, the lame and blind men, the leper, the impotent man—even Jesus Himself.
The fact is, we have far too much junk in our lives and until we experience a good spiritual house cleaning, we are not able to enjoy God’s restoration which will lead to a far better life. If you are struggling to release to God whatever you have lost, I pray you will choose to diligently seek to intimately know more of God’s ways, values and character. Those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. (Psalm 9:10, NKJV).