August 31, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, My holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her. The Lord dwells in Zion.” (Joel 3.17, 21b)

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

To conclude this series of reflections on the Prophecies of Joel revealed by God for the sake of Israel and all believers in Yahweh Elohim, including those who believe in Him because of His Son who is the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, I would offer that we dare not lose sight of the power of faith. In the closing verses of Joel, we see the promise of God’s provision for His people fulfilled. We have envisioned the connections between the promises of God per the Old and the New Testaments are felt their harmony. They are not dissonant voices but a foreshadowing of what is yet to come. By faith, we are urged to keep sight of that “what is yet to come.” Using the continuing popular paradigm of “Why do good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people,” let us keep in mind the end result of all things: God’s justice. As I have offered before, if we defined “world” justice by “God’s” justice, we would most certainly hear lament than complaint. What I mean by that is that a complaint is lodged for change to benefit one’s self from where they stand in the moment. A complaint rarely, if ever, is associated with personal change. It would seem that those who cry out for justice in the modern age are speaking for short-term benefits provided by the provisional sacrifice of others. Yes, it is in the light of an injustice and I will never make light of that. But, it is important to consider (life is always about a choice) that complaining about something generally means the desire for others to change while you stay the same. Consider this: if your place is insufficient and you blame others for that insufficiency, then how will more truly make a difference without a personal change. True justice comes in alignment with the heart, mind, body and soul in the midst of all circumstances. “Things” do not make that kind of difference. Oh, perhaps there are some short-term benefits but are they “eternal”? When the judgment of God comes upon the just and the unjust is it not true that all will be tested by the fire of the Holy Spirit which consumes from the inside out? That fiery testing removes what is not eternal and refines what is. If one’s life is made up of finite objects and realities, then they will pass away. They are “kept alive” as in a legacy only by those who frame the past as what was truly valuable. In that light, I would cast the Parable of the Talents for us to see how burying the one talent/pound in the ground to preserve it was insufficient to the trust of the Master who bestowed it. It was, in fact, taken away and the servant was left with nothing but the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.

So what of the lament? As one reads laments in the Book of Psalms you will see a consistent pattern of “praise, presentation and promise.” The psalmist praises God from whom all blessings flow. Even if their perspective is “I don’t have what others have and thus I am at a deficit others are not currently experiencing,” the psalmist knows that the blessings of the past, present and future only come from God. The blessing itself may be a temporal blessing and serve its purpose for the moment. What makes it eternal is the connection between the giver, the gift and the receiver. This is where I agree with those who say Christianity is not a religion but a relationship. I clarify it for myself by saying Christian is a religion of right relationship with God and community and self. Does this not fulfill the great commands which Jesus confirmed as “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength as further to love your neighbor as yourself are loved“? I believe it does. That belief should be the paradigm by which we align our lives. So the psalmist orients his/her petition to the only One who can make the difference and that orientation is praise. Please understand that, as in the story of Job, the praise of God is for the blessing of favor as well as the blessing of testing. It would be at this point I would address the axiom mentioned before “why do….?” The testing of faith and character may happen to those who are “bad” because they are not fully equipped to deal with “goodness and provision.” The number of bankrupt lottery winners is extraordinarily high. Unless the mindset environment of the receiver is one for change instead of indulgency, then what is good is it for eventually the good will run out and the emptiness continues. Equally, for those for are “good” and the tests come against them (sometimes, as Jesus declared, because we are good and the world hates it), isn’t it by faith that they are strengthened and encouraged by the knowledge of God’s promise that in the end all things work together for His glory. And isn’t His glory our greatest benefit?

With this orientation that all things come from or under the purview of God, the psalmist makes his/her presentation of the troubling situation which afflicts. It is a heartfelt and arduous presentation at times. It is filled with the consideration of “this is not fair, this is not right, this is good” as well as, many times, “this is a curse from God.” We would hear a lot of blame in this part of the lament and everyone is at fault except the petitioner/presenter. The hope that God will solve and resolve the problem is real. Yet, at this point it is problematic and simply a complaint. What makes the transition from complaint to lament? It is the promise of the petitioner to seek a changed life, a transformation of the heart and mind which allows the spirit to again rejoice as the goodness of God becomes clear. It may take a while for the smoke to clear from the conflagration of testing, but it will clear. The result will be the strengthening of faith and trust and the clarity of God’s love. Such times of trouble and trial are often the answer to our prayer for dealing with a difficult situation. Such a situation may not even be one we are aware of at the time looming just over the horizon or just around the corner. We may feel a sense of dread and barely know why. God does, however, and sees us. He prepares us. He is already celebrating with us that we will be able to move through those valleys of the shadows of death and rise up on the other side closer to His Home forever and ever.

This is the fulness of Joel prophesies as the book comes to its conclusion. God’s people who keep the faith will be able to rejoice as they have promised to endure the process of change regardless of how it was presented. They will again praise Him without reservation and know the greatest benefit of faith is not in things but in the community of faith of which all believers are a part and who have all things in common: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

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.