Joel 1-3

Joel is a prophet we do not know much about. Nor do we know much about the timeframe when he made his prophecies. What we do know is this was a period of natural disaster caused by locusts. Locusts ravaged the land and left very little for sustenance for the people of Israel. In the midst of this, Joel calls the nation to repentance. And, included with his message, God promises to restore his people and judge their enemies.

The application from this passage is to see its pattern: destruction, lamentation, repentance, restoration. This pattern is not just for Israel, it is for us as well. More often than not, calamities in our lives should bring us to our knees. We can lament and bring our pain before the Lord. But, then we also need to repent, individually and corporately. When we do, the Lord restores us. And the Lord is faithful to restore. But, our repentance must be genuine, not merely tearing our clothes, but also our hearts.

Do you tear and expose your heart when you come to the Lord in prayer?