Weekly Devotion no 33
13 November 2020
Bible reading – Joel 2:28-32[1]
28 “After that, I will pour out my Spirit
on all people.
Your sons and daughters will
prophesy.
Your old men will have dreams.
Your young men will have
visions.
29 In those days I will pour out my
Spirit
on those who serve me, men and
women alike.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens and
on the earth.
There will be blood and fire
and clouds of smoke.
31 The sun will become dark.
The moon will turn red like
blood.
It will happen before the
great and terrible day of the Lord comes.
32 Everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved.
On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
some of my people will be left
alive.
I have chosen them.
That is what I have promised.
Reflection
Last week we saw that God, in his mercy and following the repentance of his people, removed the plague of locusts that he had sent in judgement on them. He bestowed on them abundant provisions of food and wine and cared for them physically. And in doing so he restored the damage that had been done when the people broke the covenant he had with them.
And in today’s reading, God doesn’t stop there: we see a prophesy that shows how God will relate to his people going forward. It didn’t matter what age they were or what gender they were, God’s Spirit would be in all those who served God. Salvation would come from calling on the name of the Lord – nothing else was required.
It is this passage that Peter quotes at Pentecost, as recorded in the book of Acts.[1] At Pentecost, God’s Spirit came upon young and old, men and women, people from every nation: all those who called on the name of Jesus as Lord.
If you have faith in God and confess that Jesus is Lord, then you too can be assured of God’s salvation. In this unsure world, you can be confident of God’s grace and mercy.
If you are unsure about your relationship with God, then I encourage you to consider Jesus by reading some of the gospels. Look to him and if you seek him with your heart, you will find him, for he has promised salvation to all those who believe in him.
Hymn
Verse 1
O soul are you weary and troubled
No light in the darkness you see
There's light for a look at the Saviour
And life more abundant and free
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth
Will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
Verse 2
Through death into life everlasting
He passed and we follow Him there
O’er us sin no more hath dominion
For more than conquerors we are
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth
Will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
Verse 3
His Word shall not fail you He promised
Believe Him and all will be well
Then go to a world that is dying
His perfect salvation to tell
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth
Will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory
and grace
Prayer
Almighty God,
whose sovereign
purpose none can make void:
give us faith to be
steadfast amid the tumults of this world,
knowing that your
kingdom shall come
and your will be
done,
to your eternal
glory;
through Jesus Christ
our Lord,
who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and
ever. Amen.
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