~Old Testament Scenarios~
Joel
“A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness.
As the dawn is spread over the mountains,
So there is a great and mighty people;
There has never been anything like it,
Nor will there be again after it
To the years of many generations.”
Joel 2:2 (NASB)
"Your NEW Normal"
A catastrophic change is about to blow in with such a dramatic force no one had ever seen before. What a message to be dumped into your lap and then have to give that same information to others. You have to wonder what the Prophet Joel’s response was to this frightening calamity that was about to be bestowed upon each of them. The Bible is silent with any reaction that he might have felt. Scripture only records his obedience by the way he delivered the impending news of their future. And Joel, a humble servant of the Lord, was ready to give the message no matter how difficult it might have been (ya gotta think it had to be one of those… don’t shoot the messenger moments).
Have you just been told catastrophic news? In a moment’s time, has your whole world changed? Will you walk out in obedience? Will you trust the Lord with your devastating news and the possible “new normal” for your life? How do you do it? How do you move forward in obedience? How do you not only move forward, but also live day in and day out when that catastrophic life keeps continuing on and on and you really just want to recoil from living it? Where will you get the strength to do it?
Like Joel, your life must be aligned in a humble and trusting intimacy with the Lord God. What seems impossible is only doable in HIS strength. Grace, day by day. It is in His power that such a thing can be done.
It was under the reign of King Joash that Joel prophesied to the Southern Kingdom of Judah around 825-809BC. Simultaneously, in the Northern Kingdom, Elijah and Elisha had been the prophets to Israel. God’s people, the Jewish nation, had been influenced by their surrounding pagan countries. These pagans had led God’s people away from living holy for the Lord. They took their eyes off of, and turned their hearts away from, the One and only Living God. So the Lord warns them of what will happen if they continue down this dead-end road.
Joel’s heart was in touch with and humbled before YHWH-Shammah, the LORD is Present, and he trusted in that relationship. Maybe this is a good time to take a moment and check in with God and see how our relationship is going with Him. Do we realize that He is always present and active in our lives? Have we thanked Him for that?
Joel speaks of a future prophecy. Let this be a warning for us even in our time! He also goes on to speak of God’s promises; and if there is true repentance in the heart, then there is total restoration. We have been given a future and a hope.
This is your day; God has given it to you. What will you do with it? Will you wake up with this message and heed it? We each must seek out the Lord with an open and trusting heart.
By this we know that we have come to know Him,
if we keep His commandments.
The one who says, "I have come to know Him,"
and does not keep His commandments, is a liar,
and the truth is not in him;
but whoever keeps His word,
in him the love of God has truly been perfected.
By this we know that we are in Him:
1 John 2:3-5 (NASB)