Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 (NRSV)
Read Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 2Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near- Verse 2a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come.
Verse 12Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 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. Verse 14Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God? Verse 15Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; Verse 16gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy. Verse 17Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep. Let them say, "Spare your people, O Lord, and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"
Devotion
The Day of the Lord is coming! The ancient prophet's cry seems still to do its work. I suspect I am not alone if a palpable anxiety and tenseness joins my reading. Who is so callous or oblivious, whose pulse does not quicken, whose breath is not restricted a bit, and who would not rather avoid or skip over these words? To stand in the Lord's presence is serious and risky business—it calls our very existence into question. We invest so much in keeping our thoughts and deeds a secret, in keeping God at a distance. Somehow we know that we have been found out. And the "even now" of the timing with the accompanying call to fasting, weeping and mourning do little to relieve our tense foreboding. But then, in mid-sentence, comes a surprising turning—a call to turn to and welcome rather than to run away. And there is a "why" that allows our heart to breathe again, because we meet this God who is "gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."
Prayer
O God of mercy, it is no wonder that we fear your presence, because we know that you see beyond our defenses and deceits into the depths of our heart. But just when we are laid bare and we feel most found out and at risk, heal us and restore us again with your gracious mercy and your overflowing and faithful love. Amen.