August 12th

Pour out My Spirit upon them…

            I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

                Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit.

Joel 2:25-29

            In this chapter, the prophet Joel is writing about the coming day of Judgement…the great and terrible Day of the Lord.  He describes it as a terrible army coming to destroy all that stand in the way.  He goes on for a while about how awful judgement will be.  Then God considers His people and has mercy.  He invites them into faithfulness and repentance so that they can live in the goodness of God instead of the judgement.  God promises to love and care for His children and describes the incredible blessings that He will pour out on the faithful.

            Joel then comes to this passage towards the end of chapter two which finishes up with the passage that Peter quoted to the crowds on the day of Pentecost.  I love the opening line: “I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten.”

            God knows the costs that we have paid in this life.  He knows the burdens that we have carried and the wounds that we have accumulated.  He knows all of the pains that our children have endured.  It is not just that He knows in the vague way that a distant relative knows that our lives are “challenging.”  God knows every wound, every insult, every attack that they have suffered and He has kept a tally.  When the fullness of time has come…when God says that “It is finished,” and we all finally get to go home, there will be an amount that is due to our children and they will never again be put to shame.

            All of the times of loneliness and isolation will be repaid with relationships and laughter.  All of the moments of physical pain will be repaid with peace and comfort.  All of the instances of fear and doubt and confusion will be repaid with joy and confidence and community.  Maybe that will be the time when we, as parents, will finally be repaid with the sleep that we missed out on over the years.

            God will bring us to a place where there is no shame, no guilt and no despair.  Our children, who endured a world that sought to call shame down on their heads at every turn, will stand tall and proud of who they have been created to be.  They will stand in the assurance that they are sons and daughters of the King, meaning that they are the princes and princesses of creation.  God will hold His precious ones in His arms, claiming them as His own, and they will never, never, never be put to shame again.

            When the account has been settled, the spirit of God will be poured out upon all those who had been seen as small, less, and insignificant.  The young will see visions.  The old will dream dreams.  The disabled will sing praises and dance with all their might at the goodness of God.  They will be the worship leaders that bring the children of God into the presence of the Almighty.

            Joel paints a picture with his words and I feel my heart leap as I envision my son and your child together, free and strong and whole, leading the saints into worship of the Creator.

Jesus, let your kingdom come, here on Earth as it is in Heaven.

           

A moment to reflect:

Imagine your child as a worship leader.  Carry that picture with you throughout today.