True North Church

A quick overview of Joel
3 Chapters

Chapter 1:: Joel is in the midst of a great calamity and invites people to seek God.

Chapter 2:: Joel sees through the present calamity, and sees the ultimate calamity that will come upon the world at the end of time where God will decisively intervene bringing both judgment and salvation.

Chapter 3:: Joel talks about the judgment on the nations and the restoration of God’s people that are going to come.

“What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten.”
- Joel 1:4 CSB

“It has devastated my grapevine and splintered my fig tree. It has stripped off its bark and thrown it away; its branches have turned white…The fields are destroyed; the land grieves; indeed, the grain is destroyed; the new wine is dried up, and the fresh oil fails…The grapevine is dried up, and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the date palm, and the apple — all the trees of the orchard—have withered. Indeed, human joy has dried up.”
- Joel 1:7, 10, 12 CSB

The First Right Step is Prayer and Lament

“Announce a sacred fast; proclaim a solemn assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land at the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.”
- Joel 1:14 CSB

Reach out to God. God will meet you.

4 Ways God Meets with Us Through Prayer and Lament

1. God meets us with judgment (Joel 2:1)
“Blow the ram’s horn in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the residents of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord, is coming; in fact, it is near”
- Joel 2:1 CSB

So what Joel says the Day of the Lord will be like is…
Decisive Dark DestructiveUnexpected Difficult to endure but an opportunity for people to come to God

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; faithful love and truth go before you.”
Psalms 89:14 CSB

2. God meets us with grace that calls for faith (2:12-13)

“Even now— this is the Lord’s declaration— turn to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and he relents from sending disaster.”
- Joel 2:12-13 CSB

God wants us to respond to that judgment. Seeking His grace.

God meets us through the Holy Spirit (2:28-29)

“After this, I will pour out my Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions. I will even pour out my Spirit on the male and female slaves in those days.”
- Joel 2:28-29 CSB


God wants to put His divine presence and power into your life through the Holy Spirit.

4. God meets with us by giving us hope for restoration (3:1-3)

“Yes, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and take them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. I will enter into judgment with them there because of my people, my inheritance Israel. The nations have scattered the Israelites in foreign countries and divided up my land. They cast lots for my people; they bartered a boy for a prostitute and sold a girl for wine to drink.”
- Joel 3:1-3 CSB


“Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy, and foreigners will never overrun it again. On that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. All the streams of Judah will flow with water, and a spring will issue from the Lord’s house, watering the Valley of Acacias.”
- Joel 3:17-18 CSB

The end is not suffering…it’s restoration.
The end is not ruin…it’s God making all things new.