TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Declare a holy fast! Call a sacred assembly! Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God and cry out to the Lord. Alas for that day! For the day of the Lord is near. It will come like destruction from the Almighty. (Joel 1:14-15)
Joel prophesied to the nation of Judah, warning them that God was about to judge them with a devastating plague of locusts. He warned the people that imminent destruction was about to sweep across their land. He called for a season of fasting, mourning, and repentance. He preached to the people of Judah and Jerusalem to weep over their sins as God’s judgment approached.
As Joel predicted, the plague soon came and destroyed everything in sight. The locusts came like a storm; clouds of flying insects obscured the sun as they consumed every plant on the earth. Left with no hope of escape, the people faced famine and death.
But Joel then used the plague of locusts to describe an even greater judgement that would come on "the Day of the Lord." On this terrible day which is coming soon, the Lord will come and destroy all who live in rebellion against Him. As you read these verses, ask yourself, “Am I on the Lord’s side,” and then repent and turn to God through Jesus Christ! It’s the only way to be saved!