Signs and Signals
The Lord gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?
Joel 2:11
What has God allowed to happen in your life to get your attention?
That’s the problem in our lives. The Lord gives us signs and signals. Sometimes it’s just a small tug in our heart. Maybe it’s opening our eyes to see the sin in our lives. We unfortunately ignore the small things. When we ignore these signs and signals what happens?
The signs and signals get more intense. Things become harder to handle. But when we don’t listen it gets louder and more intense and becomes like a spiritual SOS!
The land of Judah didn’t pay attention to the warnings.
The Lord would send locusts as a form of His Divine judgment. A mighty sign of God that should have gotten their attention.
When the plague of locusts devastated Judah, you would think that Joel would try to somehow encourage the people. He might have said, “Hang in there! Things are bad right now but don’t worry they will get better, this too shall pass” Instead Joel said, “You think that was bad? Just wait, it’s going to get worse if we don’t repent.”
We can be so stubborn, so prideful. Believing that we can get ourselves out of the mess.
The day of the Lord!
Who can endure it?
That’s an easy answer. No one can endure the wrath of God. No one can withstand the judgment!
Hearing about the wrath and punishment and destruction of God used to really scare me. It was only until I knew and believed the promises of Jesus.
Don’t get me wrong God is loving ,merciful, kind and gentle. It took me a long time to realize that He is also Holy, Just and Righteous. No matter what I think in my head His thoughts are far greater than mine. No matter how strong or how smart I think I am, I can never do anything on my own to endure the punishment I deserve for not being completely submitted to the Lord of Lord’s except for one thing.
The only power we have is to give in and turn to Him then Repent!
“Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
Joel 2:12 NKJV
They heard the warning of judgment, God’s people should repent.
The important thing is that we must turn back to the Lord in all sincerity with a true heart that aches and hurts because they have gone against what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
Are you looking forward to the day of the Lord ?
This can either bring great joy, expectation,or hope to our hearts.
Or does the sound of that make you tremble and fear that maybe, just maybe the wrath may come down on you.
When we are right with God, it’s strange we actually want the day of the Lord to come. We long for Him to show His strength because we know that we abide in Him and His Glorious promises. We start to see things as He sees them. We see the evil that men do in this world. I find myself asking “Ok Lord when, when is enough enough?”
If we are not right with God, we dread the day of the Lord. On that day when God shows Himself in wrath and fury, it will be too late to turn away His wrath and fury.
You see there must be brokenness before there can be restoration. What’s happening is God is giving His people another chance to repent. Another chance to turn from their ways.
He is teaching us, showing us pleading with us.
Rend your heart, and not your garments!
In Jewish culture tearing the clothes was a way that they would show their sorrow and grief, their mourning for something or someone.
We should understand that someone could tear their garments to show on the outside what repentance looks like without tearing their hearts on the inside.
What type of repentance does the Lord want from us?
A true heart-repentance. The tearing of your heart. The total confession of our sins and transgressions withholding nothing!
He can’t restore us unless we surrender every aspect of our lives to Him, including every dark sin! Once we do the unimaginable happens! The Salvation He promised is claimed and received once we repent. When we turn from our old ways and choose Him that’s when the Restoration starts.
Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm!
Just knowing and understanding the goodness and mercy of God is another motive for true repentance. If we come to Him in all confidence believing that He will heal and forgive, and that He may relent from the judgment He said would come. Why wouldn’t we come in total submission and repentance!
Then the peace He promises comes. Then the shame from our sin goes!
Then the healing of mind, body and soul happens! Then we are new creations with a new start and a new purpose!
But it has to start with the tearing of the heart.
It is His goodness, Mercy and love that should leads us to repentance, not just the wrath and fury. We find this all in the Shed Blood of His Son Jesus Christ that blots out the sins in our lives so that through Him we are seen as spared!
Spare Your people, O Lord, And do not give Your heritage to reproach,
Joel 2:17 NKJV
The Lord will give all people the opportunity to be spared from the wrath to come. All people will have the opportunity to be free from their sins! But in order to be spared from the Great and Mighty Day of the Lord there is a requirement.
Repent and believe.
This is will make us look forward to the coming of the Lord instead of fearing the coming of the Lord!
Are you looking forward to the day of the Lord ?
Look for the signs and signals in your life that the Lord is using to get your attention. Never ignore them and let them go to waste. Use them as a spiritual filter to God’s warning.
Rend your heart, and not your garments! Then see the power of His Restoration!
Pastor Ed
