16th June 2026

16th June 2026


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Joel 2v25) 


Message (Scott Woodburn) 


It was June 2015 that I lost my wedding ring. I was heading to Ballynahinch Primary School to lead their annual leavers assembly when my ring fell from my finger. I heard it tinkling on the ground but despite my best efforts I couldn’t find it before I had to rush on up the hill to the school. Needless to say I returned later and searched for another hour but I didn’t find the ring. Losing that ring didn’t change my relationship with Jenny but I wish I still had the ring that she placed on my finger when we were married.


There isn’t a single person reading this devotion who is not familiar with loss. Some of us have lost wedding rings while others have experienced much more heart breaking loss. We have heard from those older and wiser that there is nothing in this life that we can actually keep, nevertheless we do our best to hold tightly to those people and things we love. Even so, a day comes that the ring falls from the finger or the person we adore takes the last breath.


The Lord once promised “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 2v25). What was the context of this promise? The land in Joel’s day had witnessed a massive plague of locusts who had come and devoured everything they could find (Joel 1). On our island we can’t imagine locusts descending upon our crops but the potato famine from 1845 to 1852 was one of the most destructive events to have struck this island. Imagine empty shelves in Tesco for the next seven years, imagine rationing your food and imagine watching the weight drop off your children. Joel’s generation had witnessed a monumentally destructive event.


The Lord called these men and women to repentance and a returning unto Him in their own day but Joel also spoke to another day, a greater day and a final day. If the swarm of locusts was apocalyptic, Joel made it clear that it was nothing compared to what he called “the day of the Lord” (Joel 1v15). The day of the Lord is the day of His return when all will stand before His judgement seat. It will be a great and terrible day with nowhere to hide from Christ’s piercing gaze.


The Christian has nothing to fear on that day. We will see Jesus and He will publicly acquit us and our Heavenly eternity will begin. It is then that we will see the full truth of God’s promise to bring restoration to His people. If we carry the scars of loss with us today, those scars will be healed in Heaven. Brothers and sisters, I know your hearts break and I know you have suffered great loss but hear me on this - the Lord will restore our lost years and truly we will realise that Samuel Rutherford was right “they lose nothing who gain Christ.”


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC


Q95 To whom is Baptism to be administered? Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible Church, till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him; but the infants of such as are members of the visible Church are to be baptized.
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