Blessed by the God of love, called to be “His people, the flock of His
pasture”we “praise” Him and “give thanks” to Him (Psalm 79:13). He is
our “Shepherd” (Psalm 80:1). He restores our soul. He leads us in the
paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake (Psalm 23). He is “our
Strength.” In Him, we rejoice with true happiness (Psalm 81:1). “All the
nations” belong to the Lord (Psalm 82:8). He is “the Most High God of
the whole earth” (Psalm 83:18). Those who know the Lord as their
Shepherd and their Strength, the One who “saves” (Psalm 80:19) and
“satisfies” (Psalm 81:16), are to pray and work, with the goal of
bringing others to the knowledge of Him.
There is to be prayer from “every one who lives in the land” (Joel 1:14). It is to be personal prayer - “O Lord, I cry to You for help!” (Joel 1:19). These two belong together - prayer for the nation and personal prayer. This is expressed so well in the words: “O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee. Send a revival. Start the work in me.” We hear the words, “Return to the Lord, your God” (Joel 2:13). They are followed by some wonderful words about the character of God - “He is merciful and compassionate, patient and always ready to forgive and to change His plans about disaster” (Joel 2:13). How do we know that God is like this? We look at what He has done for us - “Be glad and rejoice. The Lord has done great things!” (Joel 2:21). Looking at all that the Lord has done for us, we trust His promise: “Whoever calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2:32). This salvation is more than forgiveness for past sins. It’s more than the future glory of being in God’s ev...
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