Joel 1:19
To You, O Lord, I cry;
For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness
And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field.
The upheaval in Judah is great.
A grasshopper infestation and a major drought ensure that nothing is left on the land and that the animals sigh.
These are events that make you think.
It are harbingers of the day of the Lord.
That is why Joel calls his people to humble themselves.
He himself leads them in prayer
I call to You, Lord.
He brings the need of his people and the need of the groaning creation to the Lord.
Do we also intercede for the needs in this world, our nation, our city, our own street?
Especially if your country is increasingly turning away from God?
Pray. Because your neighbors don’t do it.
Do we lead each other in prayer?
What right does Joel have to pray?
After all, God’s punishment is right.
Joel knows his God. The LORD: the God of the covenant.
Jesus knew that when He was hanging on the cross, and He called to His Father, that He received no answer. He hung there loaded with our sins, and God cannot have communion with evil.
But Jesus hung there to work out atonement for us, so that when we call on God now, He will give us His attention.
We can call on God and know that whoever calls on Him in need finds His favor.
Yes, it has to come to that.
And it still has to come to that.
We can say to each other a hundred times that this is not good in our personal life, and that it is not good in our ecclesiastical life, but as long as the crying from distress and from the depths fails, we will not get any further.
But when that call is heard, a door opens.
A door to the grace and forgiveness of God.
For the Lord in Christ is gracious and merciful to us.
Dear friend, do you not only know this, but have you experienced it?
Have you ever gone to Him with your fear and need, and end up in praising the God Who cares for you?
Can you say with me: I was exhausted, but He saved me?
This is because He looked at you and me in Christ, who carried away and atoned for all our iniquities!
If you can say this, go ahead and encourage others.
Because all must hear and know this
But never forget this: To You, O Lord, I call!
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