Return
to Me with All Your Heart
Major calamities are an effective
way to direct the attention of people to God. The prophet Joel was speaking to a
nation who just went through a disruptive and intense calamity. Locusts had completely
devastated the land. Every-day-life as they knew it had come to a halt and people
were seeking answers. This reminds me of the 9/11 tragedy. Life, as we knew it
(especially in New York) was in a moment forever altered. And church attendance
throughout the nation spiked. However, the spiritual revival was short-lived.
Within just a few months, church attendance was back to normal. This is the
very thing that Joel was preaching against. “Return to Me with all your heart,
with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments” (Joel
2:12-13). Unless we rend our hearts and not just our garments, we will not experience
true spiritual revival. But, if we turn from sin and call on the name of the
LORD, we will be delivered. For the LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to
anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil. Dear Father, May we proclaim from our hearts that
You are our God; there is no other. May we rid our lives of other gods (distractions,
escapes and addictions) that separate us from Your presence. Help us to rend
our hearts – and not our garments. Fill us with Your spirit and make us to
experience true revival. May we rejoice and be glad in You and look for the day
when we will live forever with You.
No comments:
Post a Comment