Day 22

God’s Stripping Process



“And I will restore or replace for you the years that the locust has eaten - the hopping locust, the stripping locust and the crawling locust with My great army which I sent among you.”  Joel 2.25 Amplified Bible



As I began stripping the wallpaper off my bathroom wall, I thought about the stripping God does in us if we allow Him.  Some things are stripped easily like the long strips of wallpaper but then some sections take tedious work.  This kind was way more time consuming because they seemed to be glued on to stay.



Some of our “stuff” seems to be stuck like glue but God can strip it away. God brought the stripping locust.  It often strips us of our pride, self-sufficiency, fear, control, addictions and disobedience, to name a few.  We want to hold onto the strongholds that we seem to be glued to.  Some come off in easy, long strips.  Some are superglued and it is a more tedious long process.



Our passage says God brings the stripping which is often painful but with it comes a promise of restoration and replacement.  After the paper was stripped and cleaned a coat of paint was applied to bring a new, fresh appearance to the room.  As we allow God to strip us, the same thing occurs.  The old is stripped away to reveal the newly restored person He desires us to be.  The stripping is often painful but so worthwhile in the end.