Still hope

Blow the trumpet in Zion,
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming.
It is close at hand –                                              Joel 2.1

Joel heralds the coming of the day of the Lord, but it is no cause for celebration. The coming day will be a day of darkness and gloom. Joel sees fire devouring all before it and leaving behind a desert waste. He says of the large and mighty army of God that nothing escapes them (v3).

This is hardly good news. It certainly doesn’t correspond with my idea of the coming of the Lord which I see as a time of joy and complete liberation. Certainly I will be judged, but I don’t expect to be cast into outer darkness. Rather, I look for the sweet embrace that will finally take me home.

But for many the coming day could well be one of terror and doom.

Yet there is still hope. There is much change needed but I know that God can do anything. And perhaps the most effective action I can take is to speak to Him on the plight of the lost, and urge Him to draw them to Himself in life-giving salvation.

Lord God, Holy Father,

I thank You for this alert to the coming day of the Lord and the possibility of distress and doom that could await masses of people.

I cry out for the lost. I petition You earnestly to intercede in the world and bring restoration of faith in You.

Draw people to you, I ask in all humility and deep sincerity. May those who walk with You walk closer still. May we see, and truly experience, world-wide revival. Lord, the future of all creation is at stake. Hear this prayer. May the heavens be stirred to reach out to the entire cosmos in lasting salvation, I ask this in Jesus’ name.                 Amen.