God is always up to something! From the earliest pages of the book of Genesis until the concluding statements in Revelation, God has been working relentlessly to draw His people back to Himself.
When dealing with uncomfortable circumstances and the frustration of earthbound living, you can be assured that God is always up to something behind the scenes of our lives.
As I was reading the book of Joel recently, it was if the words jumped off the page and into my spirit as a startling reminder that even in days of dire circumstances, we serve a God who is wooing His children back to His heart.
"Hear this, elders, and give ear, all inhabitants of the land! Has anything like this happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers? Tell it to your children, and let your children tell their children, and let their children tell another generation. What the fledging locust left, the adult locust has eaten; what the adult locust left, the larval locust has eaten; what the larval locust left, the hopper locust has eaten." (Joel 1:2-4).
I have felt, during the late winter and the spring of 2020, that our Father has been setting the stage for perhaps the greatest revival in the history of the world. The Father is working to turn the hearts of this generation toward the unshakable kingdom of God.
"Yet even now, declares the Lord, return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning. Rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents from punishing" (Joel 2:12-13).
As we return to the Father with repentance and with praise, He will bless His people once again with heavenly abundance.
"So the Lord answered and said to His people, Here! I am sending you grain, new wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied ... Do not be afraid, land; exult and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things! Do not be afraid, beasts of the field, because the wild pastures flourish, because the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their abundance. And children of Zion, exult and rejoice in the Lord your God ... Then the threshing floors will be filled with grain, and the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. And I will compensate you for the years the locusts have eaten—the larval locust, the hopper locust, and the fledgling locust—My great army which I have sent against you" (Joel 2:19a, 21-23a, 24-25).
In the night hours, while I have been praying, I have felt the assurance of the Lord saying that He is drawing Millennials to Himself as never before. I have wondered, while in deep intercession, if perhaps it would take a pandemic to create a revival; I have heard the whisper of the Spirit say to me, "They are coming back! Millennials will fill my altars by the thousands. They will carry the torch of Ravi Zacharias, of Kathryn Kuhlman, of Oral Roberts and of Billy Graham. They will attach themselves to the truth of the written Word of God and they will be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit."
If you are the parent of a prodigal, I have heard the voice of the Lord clearly state, "Not one will be lost. Not one. They are coming back. The Holy Spirit is wooing them even now."
"And it will be that, afterwards, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. Even on the menservants and maidservants in those days I will pour out My Spirit" (Joel 2:28-29).
I believe that the Lord is saying, "We are in "those days" that Joel prophesied about nearly 3,000 years ago. These are the days, in the wake and devastation of a worldwide pandemic, that our Father is doing a miracle!
He will provide, He will restore and He will welcome. He will pour His Spirit out as never before. He will.
Carol McLeod is an author and popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical, biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. Carol has written 11 books, including Significant, StormProof and Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue. Her teaching DVD The Rooms of a Woman's Heart won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award for excellence in religious programming.
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