Readings for today: Joel 1-3, Revelation 1, Psalms 128, Proverbs 29:18
Joel is one of my favorite books of the Old Testament mainly because of how it describes repentance and revival. There is a lot of talk in churches today about revival. A lot of prayers ascend asking God to bring revival. To pour out His Spirit. To bless our nation. To awaken the slumbering hearts of God’s people across our great land. Why then does revival not come? Why does our culture continue it’s rapid descent into chaos? Why is there such a rise in hate and anger and rage? Why is God not answering our prayers?
According to Joel, the answer is quite clear. Repentance always precedes revival. We have not yet come to the end of ourselves. We have not yet exhausted our strength. We still believe on some level that it is up to us and our programs and our resources to bring this revival about. So we believe the lies. If we could just elect the right person. Just put the right programs in place. Just attend church more often. Just worship with more emotion. Sadly, we will do anything and everything to avoid falling on our faces, helpless before the Lord. We will do all we can to avoid putting on sackcloth and ashes. We simply refuse to bow the knee. Confession of sins both personal and corporate is a lost art. And this is why revival has not and will not come to the American church. We are too puffed up. Too prideful. Too divided. Too rich. Too comfortable. To consumer-driven. We spend more time complaining and arguing than we do in heartfelt prayer. We spend much time guarding our hearts because we’ve been wounded than forgiving those who hurt us. We have such little faith but remain unwilling to put the time and effort in to deepen our relationship with Christ. I know these are broad generalizations but study after study confirms they are true.
Joel speaks prophetically to the American church. To our church. To my church. To my own heart.
“Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! Because grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God. Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.” (Joel 1:13-14)
“Yet even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?” (Joel 2:12-14)
“Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, "Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?” (Joel 2:15-17)
These are challenging words. Joel is getting in our face. He leaves us no room for equivocation. We either accept or reject them and the consequences of our decision is clear. If we reject them, there will be judgment. If we accept them, there will be blessing.
“Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. "The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.” (Joel 2:23-25)
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.” (Joel 2:28)
Friends, the Word of God is clear. God desires to bring revival to His people. But revival requires repentance. Revival requires submission to God’s will. To God’s way. And most importantly, to God’s love. Until we do this, we will not see revival come. We cannot receive from God until we open our hearts and unclench our fists. And this is a process. It’s not something that happens easily. It is a daily decision we make to place ourselves before the Lord. Bow the knee. Believe Him for who He is and what He has to say.
Readings for tomorrow: Amos 1-3, Revelation 2:1-17, Psalms 129, Proverbs 29:19-20