A Desperate Cry for Help

God gave Joel a vivid picture of reality. Everywhere, people were preoccupied, busy with personal pleasures. They seemed blind to the devastation that was all around them. God called on them to wake up!

While the Lord was eager to bless them, His people needed to change. They had to realize how much their conditions had deteriorated, and they needed to call for His help in a spirit of humility.

Real revival only would come if they were serious with Him. If they cared so much that they were willing to “lament” and “wail,” they wouldn’t just pray short, polite prayers, but would “spend the night in sackcloth.”

Then the leaders were to usher their people into a corporate recognition of their sins, mistakes, and failures, as they humbled themselves before Him. They also were to fast, recognizing that “the day of the LORD is near.” Then, as a result of their petitions and the seriousness of their outcry, God would send deliverance and help.

As we think about our lives and conditions in the world, it can be easy to blame the problems on ungodly people. Yet the Bible makes it clear that revival starts when His people stop blaming others and start looking at our own hearts—when we humble ourselves, confess our sins, change our lives, and put aside anything that displeases Him.

Today, humble yourself before God. Confess your sins. Seek to be pure in His sight. Pray and seek His face for yourself, your family, your country, and the world.