At
the heart of the rebuilding of the Temple, there was worship -"With
praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: 'He is good; His love to
Israel endures for ever" (Ezra 3:11). Those who worship the Lord are
set within the context of a world that refuses to worship Him: "The
rest of mankind ... did not stop worshipping demons" (Revelation 9:20).
Even when the call to conversion is sounded out clearly and often, we
must reckon with the fact that many will refuse to come to Christ for
salvation. His way is still the narrow way, while many take the broad
way that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Part of God's Word to
today's world is a word of rebuke: "If you have played the fool and
exalted yourself, or if you have planned evil, clap your hands over your
mouth!" (Proverbs 30:32). Stop answering back! Stop protesting against
the Lord! Start listening to the Lord! Listen to His Word! The Lord
has much to say to this generation, if only the people would listen. If
the word of rebuke is heeded, perhaps, there will be a real opening
for the word of salvation.
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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