The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Joel 1-3
Act 2: God’s Covenant People
Scene 7: Kings and Prophets: The southern kingdom as God’s people
Background Information: Joel 1-3
Is a tornado that destroys a town judgment from God on sin? What about a pandemic or a devastating fire? What about your own personal illness or loss? Some people are too quick to presume to speak for God and declare the meaning behind natural and personal tragedies. We know that God is sovereign over all, but we don’t know all his purposes in what he does and allows. Suffering can be the result of sin, but, among other potential reasons given in Scripture, it can also be a part of God’s redemptive purposes to grow his people in faith. We are not divinely inspired interpreters of events–Joel was. He uses a plague of locusts that decimated the land in his time to point to the coming plague of the Babylonian army. These locust (grasshopper) swarms have, in modern times, covered over 2,000 square miles and comprised up to 100 billion insects. They have left the land completely void of anything green and growing. In ancient times, this would have led to a multi-year food crisis. Joel referred to the plague of insects, as well as the coming invading army, as the Day of the Lord. This prophetic phrase was used to describe events in the past and the future where God rescued his people and judged evil. This isn’t a phrase used to describe a literal twenty-four-hour period, but rather it is used to describe key events that take place in God’s long timeline to bring about his purposes. Someone might say, “Back in the day, we used to…” They are referring to a period of time with some unique historical quality. There will be a final Day of the Lord, when the Lord will return to judge sin and evil and bring salvation to his people. All the historical events foretold by the prophets, like Joel, pointed forward to that future “Day.” We don’t know if a specific event is judgment on sin, but we do know that we need to continually repent of our sins. We are never, in this life, going to be sinless and without need for ongoing repentance. We can all personalize Joel 2:12-13 and make it our ongoing practice:
“Even now—this is the Lord’s declaration—turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster.”
True repentance is not some outer show; it is a true inner turning of our hearts away from sin and towards God. We can be sure that when we truly repent, God will always relent from judgment and show us his faithful love. As we repent, we need not wonder if some form of suffering is judgment on sin. We can be sure that whatever the root cause, God is going to use it for our ultimate good and his final glory.
“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for FCA. Ask God to use Keith and his ministry faithfully share the gospel with student athletes. Pray that athletes would be faithful to make God’s love known to their teammates.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.