Ah, spring! The days are getting longer, and hopefully warmer. There are so many things to anticipate: the first robin, snowdrop flowers, and that garden perennial — asparagus. People are looking forward to their first chance to bring pictures from their well-worn seed catalogs to life.

There is one thing we don't look forward to — the appearance of the first grasshopper.  Descending on us like an army, they are ready to eat the best of what we planted, just when our gardens are starting to show promise! They are voracious and relentless.

When the prophet Joel spoke to God's people, the memory of a plague of insects was still fresh; precious crops had been destroyed and hunger reigned. But God promised the people joy beyond disaster, and full gardens despite devastation. God's Word bring…