The Message of the Locust

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. I hope you will as well! I was reading some material about locust today online, and wanted to share some thoughts with you.

The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands. Proverbs 30:27 AMP

In Bible days, people feared a cloud of locusts more than all the armies of their enemies combined. Locusts could literally black out the light of the sun, devour everything in sight and bring down a kingdom. They were unstoppable!

What's the message of the locust?

(1) Don't quit, your victory is assured! The locust is not big, but he's bold! If he can't get through the door, he'll come in through the window. If he can't get in through the window, he'll climb down the gutter and come up under the porch. But he never gives up. So keep praying, keep believing, keep fighting; your victory is assured. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). Pastor, a hundred locusts will do more to win your community to Christ than a thousand bench warmers.

(2) Alone you can't, but together we can! The locusts operate in 'bands'. Some of us have issues when it comes to letting people into our life. Because of fear, insecurity or pride, we don't want to talk to anybody, or open up and admit to anybody that we need anything. To reach your potential you must surround yourself with the right people. You can't run with weak, satisfied, laid-back, mediocre people. No, you need people with an appetite for life and a hunger for God. In God's Kingdom the mathematics are different: "One can face a thousand, but two can chase ten thousand" (Deuteronomy 32:30). "If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in Heaven" (Matthew 18:19 NIV).

Locusts can't really fly; their wings are too narrow. But they can jump 200 times their own height. And timing is everything! The locust waits till the wind blows, then he jumps and the wind carries him to his destination.

(3) When God moves, be sure you move! A locust cannot navigate where he goes, or fly against the wind, or chart his own course, or change direction. No, he's totally dependent on the wind. Thank God for self-help books and leadership seminars, etc. But there comes a moment when you have to trust God, recognize His timing, take a leap of faith and let the wind of His Spirit take you where you need to go. All your flapping around and wearing yourself out won't get the job done.

(4) Stay sensitive to the wind. Remember that wind is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. God, not you, determines your life's purpose. He's the One who schedules your seasons of opportunity. But Spiritual lethargy can dull your senses and cause you to miss your time. "Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's Word all over again" (Hebrews 5:12 NIV). Perhaps, instead of flying, your life is falling apart because you let the fire of God in your heart go out. Well, it's not too late! The wind will blow again.

So start praying, "Lord, I may have missed my time before, but not this time. I don't want to end up wishing I'd done something I didn't get to do, not because You weren't ready but because I wasn't." Blessings!

Pastor Rusty