PODCAST
Grace In Community
November 4th, 2010
Joel 2:12-17
The night after September 11, 2001, the churches in our town gathered together for an evening of prayer for our country. People were shocked and concerned.
Joel urges the people of Judah to return to God with deep mourning, fasting, and weeping in order to withstand the Day of the Lord he described. Such true and sincere sorrow for sin will move God to compassion and graciousness as the people cry out to God to spare them.
Joel calls for an all-inclusive assembly of the people. We have seen such massive demonstrations in our time: Million Man March, civil rights demonstrations, even large stadium rallies with Billy Graham. While not all these were related directly to God, who knows the extent of their effectiveness? Private individual prayer is important, but corporate focus on God can move His heart to compassion and grace.
