The Book of Joel

The first part of Joel sounded a lot like the Book of Isaiah, as God's message described destruction, wrath, and turning back to God. Some of it is really disheartening to read because it makes God sound like and rage-filled Creator. But listen to this verse:
Now return to the LORD your God,
For He is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness
And relenting of evil.
That was taken out of the book of Joel, the same book that is talking of the devastating locusts and what not. I think what people fail to see sometimes, is the love of God in the midst of his repremending.

When I was 16 or 17 (I dont remember) I hit a cyclist with my car, and fled the scene. When I returned ten minutes later, the injured man's bike was all that was left. My heart sank as I imagined all the different things that could have happened to him. But instead of repenting and turning myself in, I drove to church (it was a Wednesday night) and acted like nothing happened. I got a call that night from the police department and was asked to meet up with an officer at the scene of the crime. Long story short, I had a court date in a few weeks facing criminal charges.

I knew what I did was very wrong, and couldn't believe I did what I did, even under the state of panic I was in. It was at that point, after the punishment, that I repented. I cried to God for forgiveness, while I felt as tiny as a grain of sand. The man was ok; his ankle was injured which resulted in him ending his tennis career. And his $4,500 cycling bike was totaled. But he was alive. At that point, his life was all that mattered to me. And for all I cared, I deserved every charge I was going to face in court.

God saw my heart; he knew I was deathly sorry. He surprised me in court when I showed up and the state representative forgot my file in his office. Therefore the judge charged me with one non-moving violation. What a break! Praise the Lord.

I don't often share this story, only when I feel led to do so. We all screw up, some worse than others. God has the choice to decide how He is going to deal with us. But no matter what the punishment...He is loving us through the entire process. In fact, it is out of His love that He is punishing us. If you think about it, without Christ, our punishment would be a hell of a lot worse (pun intended).

Reading Joel just sort of brought all of that to mind. And what is awesome is that there is always hope. The silver lining on the clouds will come into view at the right time. I want to close with another verse from Joel. God bless!
It will come about after this
That I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will dream dreams,
Your young men will see visions.