Which path do you tend to take when life gets tough: hope or despair?
Do you easily vacillate between hope or despair?
- Hope may be defined as to expect with confidence or simply to trust.
- Despair may be defined as to lose all hope or confidence.
Joel 1:1-2:11 describes a situation of utter despair.
The Judean community has not only suffered an intense locust plague that has led to famine, drought, and fires but are also told this is just a precursor to the Lord coming to attack them in judgement as well.
In response to the announcement of the Lord’s coming attack, Joel 2:11 ends with the question: Who can endure it?
In other words, is there any hope to be found?
Read Joel 2:12
ESV Joel 2:12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.
Stop for a moment and let the first three words of Joel 2:12 sink in.
“Yet even now”
What feelings or thoughts do these three words stir in you?
Remember the Lord is the one who sent a message to the Judeans through the prophet Joel.
Throughout Joel 1:1-2:11 the intent has been to get the communities attention.
Repeated calls to wake up and sound alarms occur amidst the descriptions of the damage caused by the locust plague and the immense power of the Lord’s very own army.
These three words, “yet even now”, represent a significant turning point in the Lord’s message to the Judeans.
These three words, “yet even now”, indicate even though they have neglected their relationship with the Lord and He has been forced to take drastic measures to get their attention, He wants to offer the possibility of hope to them.
Given the Lord’s army has already been told to attack this is a huge statement from the Lord.
In other words, it is not too late to wake up and pay attention to Him.
Read Joel 2:12 again:
ESV Joel 2:12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.
Stop for a moment and focus on these three words:
“Return to me”
What feelings or thoughts do these three words stir in you?
The Lord has told them to wake up and pay attention.
The Lord has told them that as great as the devastation is from the locusts His army is more powerful than mere locusts.
Yet, he offers hope by saying time has not run out if they would only return to Him.
Return to him how?
Stop for a moment and focus on these three words:
“All your heart”
What feelings or thoughts do these three words stir in you?
The implication here is that the Judeans have not been fully devoted to the Lord.
Stop for a moment and focus on these three words:
“Fasting, weeping, mourning”
What feelings or thoughts do these three words stir in you?
The implication here is that returning to the Lord with all their heart means acknowledging true sorrow and concern over the fact that their hearts and attention had strayed from their relationship with Him.
It is not fasting, weeping, and mourning just about the lack of food and water caused by the locusts, famine, drought, and fires.
Rather, the fasting, weeping, and mourning is more about expressing sorrow and remorse that the Judeans had turned their hearts away from the Lord in the first place.
Therefore, the Lord sent the locusts.
Therefore, the Lord sent a message through Joel.
The Lord is asking them to wake up and return their hearts to being in relationship with Him.
- What is the Lord asking of you today?
- Has the Lord sent some recent calamity into your life to wake you up?
- How have you responded to His call to return to Him with all your heart?
- Are you truly sorrowful over having neglected Him in any way?
Remember, yet even now there is still time for hope instead of despair.
He wants to be in relationship with you and will do whatever it takes to show you this.
May you be encouraged today with this hope.
What else do you see in this verse? Send me your comments!
Blessings,
Barbara Lynn
Related Posts
- Names and Their Meaning: Joel 1:1
- Breaking News : Joel 1:2
- Sharing Stories : Joel 1:3
- Current Crisis : Joel 1:4
- Shortages Today : Joel 1:5
- Gone Viral : Joel 1:6
- Vulnerable: Joel 1:7
- Heartbreak: Joel 1:8
- Cut Off: Joel 1:9
- What is Essential? Joel 1:10
- Shame, Distress, or Despair Joel 1:11
- What is Joy? Joel 1:12
- Dressing for Spiritual Leadership Joel 1:13
- Crying Out Joel 1:14
- Perspectives and Opinions Joel 1:15
- Emotions Joel 1:16
- Neglect Joel 1:17
- Even the Sheep Suffer Joel 1:18
- Fire Joel 1:19
- Soul Thirst Joel 1:20
- It’s Coming! Joel 2:1
- Thunderstorms Joel 2:2
- Hard Times Joel 2:3
- Power Joel 2:4-5
- Overwhelmed Joel 2:6
- Action Joel 2:7-9
- Earthquake and Eclipse Joel 2:10
- Endurance Joel 2:11