Joel 2:1,
“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy
mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of
the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand.”
The
people were instructed to correct the wrongs in their lives, to deal
with their stuff, the baggage they were dragging around. The priests,
the ministers of the Lord, were commanded to take the lead in this
sacred work of penitence. They are compelled by the great weight of
the national transgressions to stand weeping and praying between the
porch and the altar. It was there in the open court that the priest,
with his face toward the altar where the sacrifice was offered,
turned his petition toward God in supplication for the sins of the
people.
Joel's
cry was to the elect, the chosen of God, His beloved. We need to sound the alarm in Zion. Can we truly feel
that we have obeyed God completely when there is such a great need in
our world? A need for our altars to be filled with saints and sinners
alike seeking God for divine revelation and intervention. We cannot
complete our mission without Him. We need and must have a fresh wind
of Holy Ghost power. As a whole, the Body of Christ must return to
Pentecost and receive anew the power of the Holy Ghost. Then we are
enabled to be actively engaged in this harvest.
Let us
all cry out with the priests of God, “Spare the people, oh Lord.”
Joel's petition was to entreat God to deliver His people, not because
they deserved it but for His own glory. Lord, restore your reputation
in us. Let it be said that the Lord God Jehovah dwells among His
people. That's what struck fear in the hearts of the enemies of God's
people, that God was in their midst. The only thing that strikes fear
in the heart of our archenemy, Satan, is that God lives in us, that
we are possessed by God's eternal spirit. Spare your people, Lord,
that the heathen should not rule over them.
May God
manifest Himself within the daily lives of each believer. Through His
abiding presence, we will throw off the encumbrances that have
silently crept in. Throw off the doubt that has slipped in due to the
lack of manifestation of Christ's presence in the Church. Break the
chains of oppression that has gripped us due to the lack of freedom
in the Holy Ghost. Throw off the cloud of ignorance that has
anesthetized us because we have not received a fresh word from
God.
Wake us, oh Lord, to the full measure of your truth. We will not be content
with only the similitude of truth. Baptize us in your truth. Immerse
us in your person. Let us put on the Lord Jesus Christ and be a
representation of Him because He is in us.