“ ‘Even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’ Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing– grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God.”
Joel 2:12-14 (NIV)
Joel sounds an alarm to the people of Zion. In verses 1-11, he describes a horrific picture. His theme is renewed by the Apostle Peter to the New Testament church that “judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begins at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17 KJV).
These men of God are sounding a wake-up call to the people of God to consider the effect our lives have upon the society around us. If the people of God have fallen from faithfulness, how much farther have the wicked sunk in degradation and sin? Let us not dwell on the failures, however, but on the Highway of Return. No, the failures can not be ignored or denied. But that is only the first step to restoring faithfulness.
Returning to faithfulness begins with recognizing the depth of our failure. The next step is to humbly acknowledge our failures before God and mourn in repentance. Those who do so have this promise: he is gracious and compassionate; he is slow to blow his stack; his love is overflowing and never ending; and he will change his mind about sending calamity.
Since “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1), we know that God will “turn and have pity.” And he will “leave behind a blessing.”
Dear Father, thank you for your pity and the blessings you bestow upon us. Forgive us our failures. Empower us with renewed faithfulness. Direct our lives so that the world around us may see our good works and glorify you, our heavenly father. In Jesus’ name. AMEN
Be encouraged today in his grace,