Joel 2:13 (NRSV)
Read Joel 2:13 on biblegateway.com
Verse 13rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.
Devotion
If you listen closely, you’ll hear many things attributed to God. I’ve heard the Christmas tsunami, Ariel Sharon’s stroke, and the Sept. 11 attacks all attributed to God’s wrath. What awful things to say, especially when said by Christian leaders. The passage from Joel doesn’t say that IF we return to the LORD, then he is gracious, etc. It says to return to the LORD exactly because he is these things … and does not send calamity.
Prayer
Loving God, you sent your Son that we might have life and have it abundantly. Help me to remember your forgiveness and to know that you love us and desire our wholeness, not our destruction. Amen.