TOPIC :  “ABIDING IN THE GOD OF ALL AGES“

Text:  Joel 2:21-32

21. Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice; for the LORD will do great things.

22. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field; for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.

23. Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God; for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

24. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.

25. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

26. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you; and my people shall never be ashamed.

27. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else; and my people shall never be ashamed.

28. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions;

29. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

30. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

32. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

KEY VERSE: Joel 2:28

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions”

MESSAGE

A young man who had received Jesus Christ as his Lord after years of being an atheist once visited an elderly chieftain of his former association. Returning home, the erstwhile atheist wondered what would be the fate of the godless in time of severe challenges or grave crisis threatening the whole of humanity. Where would such people hide? In the same philosophy and institutions that have continued to fail man?

But this man enjoying a new life as a Christian knew where to run to: the everlasting God who has promised His best to those who trust Him. Through His servant Joel, the Lord arrays an assembly of blessings for men and women of all ages who would put their trust in Him. He asks nature and the beasts of the field to rejoice and not to fear. He turns to His people and assures them of His plan to supply their needs and restore all they have lost such that “my people shall never be ashamed”.

The Lord’s promises were not to be fulfilled in Joel’s day only. God, being the Lord for all ages, cast His sights to the distant future and beyond to capture our age to reach to when “the terrible day of the LORD [would] come.” The mercy of heaven will still suffice then because He speaks of pouring His Spirit upon all flesh to enable young believers receive visions like prophets of old.

Unbelievers cannot enjoy these precious blessings as a result of their rebellion. To be partakers of these blessings, they must repent and forsake their sins because the invitation has an expiry date, when “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
The God of all ages can also sail His people through all storms.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
John 19-21

Daily Manna is the daily devotional of the Deeper Christian Life Bible Ministry (DCLM). It is an extraction of God’s Word designed to draw the sincere seeker closer to God on a daily basis through an insightful exposition and analysis of God’s Word.