The Day of the Lord: Judgment, Mercy, and Restoration

smoke . God calls his people to rend their hearts , not just their garments , offering restoration , revival and hope in the shadow of the coming day of the Lord . The streets are quiet now , but not in peace . It's the kind of quiet that presses against your chest . You walk them beside Joel the prophet .

His cloak dust stained , his eyes heavy with what he has seen and what he still hears . He doesn't rush . He walks slowly , deliberately , because every step , every street corner carries memory and meaning .

He speaks little at first , but you can tell his mind is full , full of the cries of his people , full of the silence left by the locust , full of the sound of the Lord's voice still echoing like thunder in his soul . And then he speaks , not to you directly , but to the city , to the land itself . Blow the trumpet in Zion .

His voice isn't angry , it's urgent , grieved . He's heard the warning , seen the vision . What's coming is bigger than locusts . This time it's the day of the vision . What's coming is bigger than locusts . This time it's the day of the Lord , A day not just for Judah but for all nations .

You walk with him past the temple ruins , through fields still barren from the last devastation . He pauses , places a hand on the wall of a home where children used to laugh . You see it in his face . This is not just prophecy , it's personal . You sit behind him later at a rough-hewn table .

As he pours over the words he's writing , his hands tremble not from fear but from awe . He doesn't fully understand it yet , but something stirs in him this day of the Lord . It's not only about judgment . It's about Jesus . He can't name him yet , but the Spirit breathes the shape of it through his pen .

A promise of the Spirit poured out all on flesh Of salvation , available to anyone who calls on the name of the Lord , of a future where devastation is not the final word . Joel leans back and looks at you , not with answers but with questions . Do they hear it ? Do they know how much God still longs to restore them ?

Can they see the mercy beneath the fire ? Will they return ? Now you walk the streets beside him , not from the outside looking in , but as part of it all . Dust clings to your sandals . The air is thick with the weight of what's been lost and what could still be redeemed . You feel it , the holy reckoning rising beneath your feet .

You pass a doorway , once filled with laughter , now it stands silent and something stirs in you , a question , unspoken but loud . You slow your steps . What would it take for you to stop , truly stop , to let your heart break open , instead of simply adjusting your routines , to tear down the safe habits and offer God the raw , trembling pieces of your soul ?

You see the places in your own life , places that have grown cold , cracked , overgrown with despair . You had written them off . But now , now you wonder , because there's something in the wind , not just judgment , something softer a whisper you hear it . Softer a whisper , you hear it .

Fate but real , the sound of restoration , the stir of hope and the question that hovers in the silence . Are you ready to return ? As we prepare to hear Joel 2 , step into the trembling hush before the storm breaks , where the ground shakes , the skies darken and the day of the Lord rushes near like an army in formation .

This chapter holds both terror and tenderness as God's righteous judgment draws near . Yet his heart longs to restore . Joel cries out not for shallow ritual , but for true repentance , a tearing of hearts , not garments , and in that surrender , God promises to renew what was lost , to pour out his spirit and to awaken hope in every generation .

Let these words remind us that divine mercy often meets us at the edge of ruin and that revival begins not with strength but with returning . Now let's take a moment to quieten our hearts and listen to the word itself .

Let these words sink deep into your spirit , bringing comfort , conviction and encouragement , whether you're sitting in a quiet place or out in the world . Allow scripture to meet you right where you are . I hope you have your favorite cup of tea or coffee . Sit back , relax and let's step into the sacred text of the book of Joel 2 . The Book of Joel 2 .

Blow the trumpet in Zion . Sound the alarm on my holy mountain . Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble , for the day of the Lord is coming

. It is near a day of darkness and gloom , a day of clouds and thick darkness , like blackness spread upon the mountains . A great and powerful army comes their like has never been from of old , nor will be again after them in ages to come . Fire devours in front of them and behind them a flame burns .

Before them the land is like the garden of Eden , but after them a desolate wilderness , and nothing escapes them . Them , a desolate wilderness and nothing escapes them . They have the appearance of horses and like war horses they charge as with the rumbling of chariots .

They leap on the tops of the mountains like the crackling of a flame of fire devouring the stubble , like a powerful army drawn up for battle Before them . Peoples are in anguish , all faces grow pale . Like warriors , they charge Like soldiers . They scale the wall . Each keeps to its own course . They do not swerve from their paths .

They do not jostle one another . Each keeps to its own track . They burst through the weapons and are not halted . They leap upon the city , they run upon the walls , they climb up into the houses . They enter through the windows like a thief .

The earth quakes before them , the heavens tremble , the sun and the moon are darkened and the stars withdraw their shining . The Lord utters His voice at the head of His army . How vast is His host . Numberless are those who obey His command Truly . The day of the Lord is great , terrible indeed . Who can endure it ?

Yet even now , says the Lord , return to me with all your heart , with fasting , with weeping and with mourning . Rend your hearts and not your clothing . Return to the Lord , your God , for he is gracious and merciful , slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and relents from punishing .

Who knows whether he will not turn and relent and leave a blessing behind him , a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord , your God . Blow the trumpet in Zion . Sanctify a fast . Call a solemn assembly . Gather the people . Sanctify a fast . Call a solemn assembly . Gather the people . Sanctify the congregation . Assemble the aged .

Gather the children , even infants , at the breast . Let the bridegroom , leave his room and the bride her canopy Between the vestibule and the altar . Let the priests , the ministers of the Lord , weep . Let them say spare your people , o Lord , and do not make your heritage a mockery , a byword among the nations . Why should it be said among the peoples ?

Where is their God ? Then the Lord became jealous for his land and had pity on his people . In response to his people , the Lord said I am sending you grain , wine and oil , and you will be satisfied , and I will no more make you a mockery among the nations .

I will remove the northern army , far from you and drive it into a parched and desolate land , its front into the eastern sea and its rear into the western sea . Its stench and foul smell will rise up . Surely he has done great things . Do not fear O soil , be glad and rejoice , for the Lord has done great things .

Do not fear you , animals of the field , for the pastures of the wilderness are green , the tree bears its fruit , the fig tree and vine give their full yield . O children of Zion , be glad and rejoice in the Lord , your God , for he has given the early rain for your vindication .

He has poured down for you abundant rain , the early and the later rain as before . The threshing floors shall be full of grain , the vats shall overflow with wine and oil . 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 younger men shall see visions , even on the male and female slaves . In those days , I will pour out my Spirit , I will show portents in the heavens and on the earth blood and fire and columns of smoke .

The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood , before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes . Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved , for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape , as the Lord has said , and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls .

As we draw this time together to a close , imagine walking beside me now Joel , in the thick of the darkness . The skies are heavy , the air tense with the sound of approaching footsteps , the day of the Lord on the horizon . What began as a warning in chapter 1 has now become a call to action .

The locusts have done their work and now we stand at the edge of something far greater , something much more forbidding . The earth trembles beneath us as judgment approaches , but with it there's something else Mercy .

In the midst of this storm there is an invitation to return , not just a return to ritual , not to mere outward acts of sorrow , but a return to God's heart , a true , full surrender of all that we are . As I speak to the people , I am not just a prophet delivering words , but a voice trembling with the urgency of what is to come .

The locusts may have stripped the land , but there is still a

way forward , a path that leads to restoration . Rend your hearts I say not just your garments , your hearts , I say not just your garments . Tear open the facade , the pride , the complacency , and come before God with a broken heart . The locusts are gone , but the heart of God , broken for his people , it remains .

He is calling us to a deep , intimate renewal and he promises that if we return to him he will pour out his spirit . He will restore the years the locusts have eaten , the fields will bloom again . But what does that mean for you right here , right now , as we stand in the shadow of this day of the Lord , I ask you to reflect .

Where in your life have you allowed the locusts to come in and steal away what was once fertile and full ? Maybe it's your passion for God , slowly eaten away by distractions or complacency . Maybe it's relationships that have withered or dreams that have been overshadowed by fear .

Where in your heart have you built up walls , thinking you could go on without God , thinking you could handle the storm on your own ? The call is clear , but it's not easy . It requires vulnerability . It demands that we look at the places within us that we'd rather leave untouched , those places of pride , of bitterness , of self-sufficiency .

And here's the question that stings Are you ready to tear open your heart and offer it to God in full surrender ? What are you holding back ? What is preventing you from coming to Him with everything you've been carrying ? In Joel's words there is an incredible promise . I will restore you to the years that the locusts have eaten .

It is a promise of redemption , but redemption only comes when we truly return , when we come with hearts that are broken , not just for the things we've lost but for the ways we've wondered , from the one who is our true source of life . As you reflect on your own life , consider this what are the places in your heart that need restoration ?

What parts of your life need to be surrendered to God so he can breathe new life into them ? The locusts may have come , but the Lord's restoration is greater still . The day of the Lord is coming , but so too is the promise of His mercy , his grace and His restoration . Thank you for joining me today as we journey through the book of Joel 2 .

I pray that you carry these reflections with you into your day , into your week , and that you find strength in knowing God is with you in every trial , every temptation and every step of obedience

. If this time in God's word has encouraged you , take a moment to share it with someone who might need it , and be sure to join me next time as we continue walking through the scriptures , learning , learning , growing and staying faithful in the field of life .

Until next time , may you find peace in the quiet trust in God's call and rest in His unchanging love . This is In the Field Audio Bible , where we Listen to the Bible One Chapter at a Time .