While I was doing the reading for today, I kept thinking about Heather’s blog from yesterday. The people of Judah were definitely experiencing one of those “how can this be” moments that Heather described.
There were swarms of locusts and a severe drought destroying their crops and their land. This meant their livelihood and their lives were being threatened. That sounds familiar.
You may be experiencing the locusts. What is eating away at you? Is it fear, stress, anger, un-forgiveness, hurt?
You may be experiencing drought. What is drying up? Maybe your finances, a job, love, a relationship, hope, faith, your Spirit?
In Joel 2:12-13, we discover the key to living through their, and our, circumstances: return to God “with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments.”
I did not know what “rend your heart and not your garments” meant. I had to look it up.
Rend means to tear something into two or more pieces. To rend one's garments, means “to tear one’s clothes as a sign of extreme grief or distress”.
Joel is telling the people of Judah to go to God with their entire heart, open to Him.
My study Bible notes Psalm 51:17 as a reference to Joel. The text note there says, “what pleases God more than sacrifices is a humble heart that looks to him when troubles crush and penitently pleads for mercy when sin has been committed.”
Wow! God wants our hearts more than anything else that we might offer. It may be broken, it may be bruised or stained, but He still wants it. It is not beyond His healing.
His word says, that when we turn to Him, He is faithful and will take pity on us. (Joel 2:18). He will feel sorrow and show compassion on those because of their suffering. God says that on the day of the Lord, “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25), He promises to “pour out His Spirit” (Joel 2:28) and He says, the water will return and be plentiful (Joel 3:16).
That is great news! When we turn to Him, He is faithful in healing our hearts and our lives, when the time is right. Aha! There is the catch you might be thinking (or even saying.) These things all happen in His time, not on ours. It is true, it is not on our schedule, but on His. But, don’t give up! Keep going to Him. Open your heart in prayer. Prayer gets to heaven. Want proof? Revelation 5:8b tells us, “they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” And, according to Romans 1:7 and Ephesians 1:1, you who are faithful to Christ, are a Saint!
Our prayers are lifted to heaven as incense, when the time is right, when the bowls overflow, they will be overturned and the blessings will be abundant. All that has been taken will be repaid.
You may be broken right now, but when you humbly go to Him, the healing and help will begin. He will take all of the pieces and put them back the way He meant for them to be.
Lord, my heart has been broken by my circumstances, by other people and even through my own mistakes. I am not without stain and blemish. I rend my heart and give it to you. I know that it is better in Your hands than in my own. You are my Healer, my Comforter, my Help. I know that you hear my prayer and that you will answer in Your way and in Your time. Thank you for feeling my hurt and for showing compassion. “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” (Rev 5:13) Amen.
Hugs,
Lynnette
