Time to Invoke Joel?

Joel 2:12-14

That is why the Lord says,

    “Turn to me now, while there is time.

Give me your hearts.

    Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.

Don’t tear your clothing in your grief,

    but tear your hearts instead.”

Return to the Lord your God,

    for he is merciful and compassionate,

slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

    He is eager to relent and not punish.

Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve,

    sending you a blessing instead of this curse.

Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine

    to the Lord your God as before.

We move to the prophet Joel today.  We know precious little about him personally, but he is generally known as a prophet who spoke of the “end of days.”  The first chapter and a half talks of a terrible plague of locusts that have decimated the people of God.  Joel is invoked almost every time there is widespread trouble and disaster.  Over the thousands of years that have passed since these words were recorded, virtually every generation has quoted Joel to describe the awful things that were happening. This book has called dozens of generations to turn back to God in times of devastation and loss.  And so, let’s join them.  We invoke it again in 2024.

Like Hosea’s core message that we just explored, God’s message given through Joel is to “give me your hearts.”   God desires a relationship, not outrageous acts of penitence (tearing garments).  When we do turn our hearts to God, we find that “he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.”  The hope Joel offers is that perhaps, there will be a blessing we gain while we are surrounded by curses.  I notice that the blessing is not promised, but what we can take from this passage is that a blessing in the midst of such awful chaos is only possible through turning our hearts back to God.  The curses don’t hold blessing within them.  Only God can bring blessing in the midst of a season of curses. 

So today, spend some time considering the ways in which you may have turned away from God.  Whether this happened through distraction, overwhelming grief, rebellion, or some other reason, the prophetic witness in such times is to ask the psalmist’s question and receive that same psalmist’s answer to himself:

I look up to the mountains—

    does my help come from there?

My help comes from the Lord,

    who made heaven and earth!

He will not let you stumble;

    the one who watches over you will not slumber.

Indeed, he who watches over Israel

    never slumbers or sleeps.

The Lord himself watches over you!

    The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.

The sun will not harm you by day,

    nor the moon at night.

The Lord keeps you from all harm

    and watches over your life.

The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,

    both now and forever. (Psalm 121)

Prayer:  God, we turn our eyes to you in this time when it seems the “locusts” are devouring everything in sight.  Our hope is in you alone.  Amen.

Prayer Focus:  Pray for all those traveling this week for the Thanksgiving holifday.

Song:  When This Is Over (feat. The Oak Ridge Boys)