August 18, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” (Joel 2.30,31)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD TO US:

The great and dreadful day of the Lord was witnessed by those who put their trust in God. That day was when God responded to the attacks of the enemy against His people. Even in their decision to be faithful to God, the enemy brought its attack in global force. God’s people were the central focus. Jesus had warned His disciples of such days when the world would turn against them because they put their trust in the gospel. Without the blessing of the Holy Spirit to steel their resolve and remind them of the sealed covenant of eternal protection, the gospel may surely have faded to a note on a page of history. Their voices, however, spoke pointedly and poignantly into the darkness of a sin-fected world. The enemy rebelled as we have seen since the rejection of families and friends of their inner circles in Jerusalem, the persecutions of the Roman Empire and the waves of hate and murders throughout history. The voice of the gospel cannot be silenced. As in the days when Joel declared the truth of God, the battle between good and evil rages on. They are terrible and dread-filled days which have ebbed and flowed through history and into the modern day. We stand in the midst of them even now feeling the waves of animosity and doubt rising and falling. Like surfers in the water awaiting the “big wave” to ride to the beach in hopes of winning the prize, the Church must be aware of the dangers of “keeping their eye on the prize” and the reward.

Yes, the unification of voices of the multi-generations mentioned in the preceding verses sounds wonderful. Would that it was the evidence of the season of peace after the battle. Instead, it is the declaration of the internal peace and fortitude to dwell in the midst of those days. The prophecies, dreams and visions which are uttered “in those days” are the encouragements of what is yet to come in the darkest moments and in the light of God’s glory and grace. Those upon whom the Spirit rests are not “saved” from the battle but protected in the midst of it. They will receive the spoils of war as their reward, but it will not be any of the things of this world as those victors and survivors garnered in all the previous conflicts. When the battle of the Lord is complete, the need for a new Heaven and a new Earth will be evident. When the smoke clears, the devastation will be beyond the imagination of anything we have seen or can conjure up in our mind. The faithful will continue to stand, rising to their feet speaking the truth in love. That truth might sound like the very teaching of Jesus which declared “With humankind this is impossible but with God all things are possible.” Remembering that when Jesus said this, the meaning of it was purely and solely about salvation. He was not expressing a mantra of “success” in the activities of the world and the human pursuit of worldly goals and objectives. That seems to be the general feeling I get these days when I hear people quote that scripture. It almost feels like aligning with Christ then allows the person to do be anything and do anything better than all the rest. We can be a successful athlete, business person, student, etc in the terms of the world because of a belief in Jesus. Actually, it is more evident of our ability to withstand defeat and hardships that speaks most powerfully of our faith in Christ alone. The reality is that we cannot do all things through Christ who “strengthens” us. There are things we will never be able to do. Thanks be to God, Christ is not limited in doing whatever it takes to save the believer and the seeker from the perils of darkness. This is why I would remind us, mighty ones of God, that the teaching of Jesus on this point was about salvation. We, on our own, cannot be saved. There is no work we can do or position we can purchase that will save us into eternal life with God. It is by Christ and belief in Him alone that we are saved. It is by the truth of that word which empowers us to be all we can be to promote the gospel and to serve the Lord with gladness and contentment regardless of the condition we may find ourselves in.

And we need that strength in midst of the battle. We need the vision and insight to pierce through the smoke of the battle which limits what we can see in the moment to observe clearly the goal which is ahead. In the middle of the conflict when evil rises against the good with the desire to overcome it with evil, the faith of those upon whom the Spirit of God rests will be a mighty fortress for the soul, a strong tower and a hedge of protection. The body they may kill but the soul belongs to God and is sealed by the anointing of the Spirit. It is as that light which pierces the darkness and becomes a beacon of hope for those who dwell in darkness. It is the light of Christ which comes with a new day when all the madness will cease and the heavens will resound with the glory of the Lord. Until then, we must stay focused. We must keep our eyes on Him knowing that all things are working together for the good of those who call upon the name of the Lord. Because He is in it, we will get through it.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.