The Book of Joel: Put into action your faith in God

Reading the book of Joel feels a little bit like reading a sci-fi book. If I close my eyes for a minute, I can visualize a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, The Birds.

“At least it’s a short book with just three chapters,” I think to myself. “I am sure I can get through this study quickly to see what God wants me to learn.” As I continued on, I was reminded, once again, that nothing is simple in God’s teachings for us…yet it can be simple if we are willing to spend time with Him. And by that, I don’t mean our timing or understanding, I mean His timing to learn His understanding for us.

As I re-read the book of Joel with several resources and commentaries, I found myself penning many questions, trying, once again, to learn why God has guided my heart to travel through this particular journey of His word.

Do we really believe in God for all things? Have our hearts truly repented for our doubts and stumbles in sin and ways of the world? Have we allowed our daily lives to seep into our hearts, minds and souls and distract us from God’s plans for our lives?

13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people,
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:13-14 NIV8

Even if my letter made you sorrowful, I don’t regret sending it (even though I felt awful for a moment when I heard how it grieved you).

9 Now I’m overjoyed—not because I made you sad, but because your grief led you to a deep repentance. You experienced godly sorrow, and as God intended, it brought about gain for you, not loss, so that no harm has been done by us.
10 God designed us to feel remorse over sin in order to produce repentance that leads to victory. This leaves us with no regrets. But the sorrow of the world works death.
2 Corinthians 7: 8-10 TPT

Authors Nathan Jones and Steve Howell write in their book, 12 Faith Journeys of The Minor Prophets, the following: “no washing of the outside of the cup of one’s affairs, or ripping one’s clothes as an outward expression of grief.” I love this sentence. Why? Because our God is looking for genuine heartfelt repentance from his people. As I read through the Book of Joel, I pondered in my heart, what holds me back from the fullness of God’s love?

After all, he gave His only Son for us, because the saving work of Jesus Christ would provide spiritual blessings for all of His people throughout the life of the Church.

Are we, as believers of Jesus Christ, allowing the fullness of the Holy Spirit given to us from God’s grace, to enter into our everyday lives?

In Acts 2:17 -21, we read that the Apostle Peter confirms that God revealed to Joel the spiritual blessings being poured out by the Holy Spirit.

How could Joel have known that God had a long-term plan for his prophecies which would extend His blessings down through the ages? God was not just talking to the faithful Jews in Joel’s day, but to faithful Jews and Gentiles for millennia to come.

The Book of Joel was not created as a historic story of time. It was created for us to have now, so that our faith would grow in knowing that our God is the El Shaddai or “ All Sufficient One”; “The God Who is more than Enough.” God knows everything from the beginning to the end. As we begin to embrace this understanding of the depth of God’s love for us, we grow to understand the strength we have received from God to grow our faith in truly trusting Him in all things, big and little. He already knows what is going to happen for us today and tomorrow; He has created us for His good purpose.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 NIV

We learn from Joel that he had the faith to write the words given to him
from God which were to tell the people when to turn away from their sinful ways—as these ways will have consequences, for God cannot allow
darkness to carry forth in his land. From all of the gardening I do, I am reminded that it doesn’t take much for a weed to grow and take over a garden. And, the only way to get rid of the weed’s growth, is to completely
destroy it so it does not return. Allowing a distraction that takes us away from God is allowing weeds to grow in our hearts and souls that will separate us from His love and promises.

I found myself a little caught in my swirling thoughts, so I put my books down and went outside to take in the early morning fresh air. I slowly began to see all the new growth emerging on the plants as they begin their spring rebirth after the winter’s rest.

I began to wonder, do we really walk in faith, even during the challenges of life? Sometimes our challenges seem greater than anything we can imagine. If we allow our hearts and souls to truly let go of our hurts, stumbles and distractions, we, too, can welcome in a season of rebirth into our lives.

What started out as a dark sci-fi movie turned out to have a beautiful and glorious ending. The Book of Joel reminds us that our God is a loving and forgiving God who wants to give His children so much more, if we turn to Him in trust for all things and let go of the darkness of the world.

0 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

All he wants for us is “the best.” Through centuries of time, our Heavenly Father has always reached out His hand of forgiveness and loving kindness to us when we turn to Him and have repented our sins and shortcomings to open our hearts. When we obey His ways for us, we may embrace the ultimate gift of His love, for God is Love.

7 Those who are loved by God, let his love continually pour from you to one another, because God is love. Everyone who loves is fathered by God and experiences an intimate knowledge of him.
8 The one who doesn’t love has yet to know God, for God is love.
9 The light of God’s love shined within us when he sent his matchless Son into the world so that we might live through him.
10 This is love: He loved us long before we loved him. It was his love, not ours. He proved it by sending his Son to be the pleasing sacrificial offering to take away our sins.
1 John 4:7-10 (TPT)

Let’s dig out the weeds of our sins, repent, and allowGod to restore our hearts with His forgiveness and everlasting love – so that our hearts become His garden filled with His promises and blessings.

Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the Lord your God! The rain He sends demonstrates His faithfulness. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. The threshing floors will again be piled high with grain, and the presses will overflow with new wine and olive oil.

(Joel 2:23-24 NIV)