"Swift and Thorough"

"He spake, and the locust came, and caterpillars, and that without number, and did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground." (Psalms 105:34-35)
Just in case you haven't noticed, the topic of all of this argument and discussion is that "God Takes Care of His People." It is not anything that we can achieve on our own; we can not just all of the sudden wake up and say, 'I choose today to be a person of God,' it is God that chooses us; He calls us out of the darkness and He gives us the ability to answer the call. Prayer is so important when it comes to wanting to see God save one of your loved ones, especially when they are stuck in a life that is contrary to the life that they should be living. Not only do they need to receive the call, but they need to be given the heart to respond; they need to see their need to be saved. As I was laying there in bed thinking about this portion of Scripture, I could not help but think of Malachi 3:11, and how God will protect our livelihood and our resources, if we are faithful to give Him our tithes. I am pretty sure that it's not about the money; at least not in the sense of amount or ability. It is about us knowing and respecting the power of God in and over our lives, even that of our finances and our ability to care for our loved ones. It is not even really about it being a two way street, as some may look at it; where you give to God, and then He returns your giving tenfold. It's not about giving to receive, it's about giving because of what God has already given to you, more than you could ever afford to repay, not in a thousand lifetimes. So ten percent seems amazingly fair, don't you think? Looking at this portion of Scripture, it is very easy to see that God has the power to bless and the power to take away; and there is absolutely nothing anyone can do to stop the devourer from taking away; once it is started, there is only One that can rebuke it, and that is God. I think it is pretty amazing how that works, because it works for all sorts of people, the very poor, as well as the very rich. Who does it affect the most? Some might think it would be the very poor, because if they have very little, there is not much that can be taken before they have nothing. Yes, that part is basically true; but it does not take very much to replace what was taken; and anything is better than nothing. The very rich, they are actually worse off; they have grown accustom to a certain way of living; a way of life that takes a lot of money to afford. You know that old adage, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall;" well, that is the way it is when the very rich have their resources devoured. We need to remember what it was that bought all of this into existence; it was the dream that Pharaoh had, the one about the seven healthy and fat things being devoured by the seven sickly and lean things. We cannot ever loose sight of God's care for us, every single part of our existence...
"Don't be afraid, my people. Be glad now and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things. Don't be afraid, you animals of the field, for the wilderness pastures will soon be green. The trees will again be filled with fruit; fig trees and grapevines will be loaded down once more. Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the LORD your God! For the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. The threshing floor will again be piled high with grain, and the presses will overflow with new wine and olive oil. The LORD says, "I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the LORD your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced. Then you will know that I am among my people Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and there is no other. Never again will my people be disgraced."" (Joel 2:21-27) NLT