Again,
the combination of prayer and work is seen in Nehemiah - "I devoted
myself to the work on this wall" (Nehemiah 5:16), "I prayed, 'Now,
strengthen my hands.'" (Nehemiah 6:9). "So the wall was completed ...
this work had been done with the help of our God" (Nehemiah 6:15-16). We
may contrast the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and the fall of
Babylon - "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!" (Revelation 18:2). The
contrast between Jerusalem and Babylon - the 'tale of two cities' - is
the contrast between God and the devil, between holiness and sin,
godliness and ungodliness, righteousness and unrighteousness, good and
evil. the triumph is the Lord's. The word of judgment concerning Babylon
has been spoken (Revelation 18:10,16-17). Proverbs 31:10 tells us that
"noble character ... is worth far more than rubies." Again, what a
contrast there is between the rich blessing of noble character and the
empty futility of worldly riches: "Woe! Woe, a great city, dressed in
fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering stones and pearls! In one
hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!" (Revelation
18:16-17).
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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