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Joel 2:21-24 (JDV)

Joel 2:21 Don’t fear, ground; shriek ecstatically and be glad, because Yahveh has done astonishing things.

Joel 2:22 Don’t fear, wild animals, because the open country pastures have turned green, the trees bear their fruit, and the fig tree and grapevine produce their riches.

Joel 2:23 Children of Zion, shriek ecstatically and be glad in Yahveh your God, because he gives you the autumn rain for your vindication. He sends showers for you, both autumn and spring rain as before.

Joel 2:24 The threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with new wine and fresh oil.

recovery is going to happen

The prophet wants to assure the nation that God has not totally abandoned them. After a disaster, we are all tempted to despair, and think that things can never be put back in order again. But God has designed his world to come back to life after the worst hits it. The rains will come, and the decimated crops will return.

The prophet instructs his people to put their faith in God, who has built recovery into the order of his creation. It is possible, because that is what our God does.

You there – are you thinking that your life has been reduced to its lowest common denominator? Are you tempted to give in to self-contempt and sadness? Don’t. The grass will turn green again. The trees will produce fruit again. You will be blessed and a blessing again. Just trust God until it starts to happen. And the occasional ecstatic shriek can be a signal of that trust.

Thank you Lord for the recovery that is going to happen!