God’s people were facing a disaster of epic proportions. Something was happening that had never happened before—at least not this bad! They were going to tell their children, and their children would tell their children… Things were that bad! Does that sound like today? I’m talking about God’s people thousands of years ago in the days of the prophet Joel. They weren’t facing a pandemic. Worse! A plague of grasshoppers was wiping out everything. Everything was gone. What could they do?
Here’s what Joel encouraged them to do: “Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity” (Joel 2:13). What wise words! God wasn’t looking for them to tear (“rend”) their clothes. He didn’t need an outward show. He wanted their hearts. He wanted his people to come to him with broken, repentant hearts. Why? Because our God is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”
We’re facing a disaster that most of us have never seen before. What should we do? “Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” Let’s rend our hearts and trust in God’s grace.
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