Consecrate a fast,
Proclaim a solemn assembly;
Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land
To the house of the Lord your God,
And cry out to the Lord. Joel 1:14
Israel was being invaded by more than just locusts that would devastate their crops. They had been invaded by attitudes and degrading social morals that were stripping them bare of God’s blessing and sustenance. The only hope was to repent and turn back to Him and re-enter a love relationship with their God. Oh, that’s what America needs today. We are seemingly so self-sufficient and without need of God, but we don’t realize we are being stripped bare. We are the object of God’s impending whoa’s ‘whoa to you who call evil good’; ‘whoa to you who exchange bitter for sweet’.
Am I leading the way by fasting and assembling with other believers in a solemn assembly? Am I crying out to Him?
God, I do cry out to You. Forgive me sin and overlook my offenses. I will gather with others who want Your great blessing to be upon us and to experience the joy of Your salvation. Please speak to Your people and heal our land.
