Discerning the Trumpet’s Call (Part 2)
Joel 2:1-11 records God’s stern warning to Zion. A mighty army, ready to devour both land and the living, is poised to overtake them. Like the plague of locust in chapter one that devoured the land destroying crops, livelihood, and food supply, so too cometh God’s army. This time human forces will besiege Zion cutting down everyone and everything in their wake. Though the impending siege seems certain… ultimate destruction appears eminent, there is yet a glimmer of hope for Zion. Joel calls to God’s people the inhabitants of Zion, telling them that the way out of their mess could very well be behind them.
The time is now for Zion, the people of God, to return to their God. Hear God’s call (v. 12b), …“return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” This is the pathway on which deliverance may be found. Note that deliverance is not merely in acts of sacrifice or demonstrative shows of mourning, but it is a matter of the heart. Verse 13a continues, 13Rend your heart and not your garments. What is most striking here is that the Lord reveals what is God’s utmost concern; it is the disposition of the heart. The Lord desires that the heart of Zion toward God would be reflective of God’s heart toward Zion. Verse 13b, “…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.”
The season of Lent is more than a time of mourning and fasting… more than a time to engage in rituals of remembrance. The season of Lent is a time when we as the Called of God can personally and in concert with our community of faith, return and recommit to seeking the heart of God in earnest. So, if we fast, or weep, or mourn; Let Us rend our hearts returning our whole selves to GOD
Let Us Pray
NOTE: As you pray to the Lord on today, speak from your heart. Also take time to sit in silence, that you may also hear from God. Lastly, pray the ASH WEDNESDAY 2022 PRAYER/CONFESSION found on our website at www.sgumcny.or
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