By Conner O’Day

Little is known about Joel, but we know he was one of the Twelve Minor Prophets. (Today’s text is Joel 3:1-21) What was God trying to communicate with us through Joel 3:1-21 and especially Joel 3:16?

“The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem. The earth the heavens will tremble, but the Lord will be a refuge for his people and stronghold for the people of Israel.”

God is trying to say in this verse (Joel 3:16) is that even when life gets rough and everything seems to be going bad God will always be there for you. It also says that if you trust God during troubled times he will reward you. In verse 17 “Then you will know that I, the Lord your, God dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her.” Also verse 18 “In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house and will water the valley of acacias.” Both of these verses display the rewards that God gives if you put faith in Him. It is very important for us to put out trust in God. But it is also very hard. We all have that mind set of “I can do it on my own,” but we can’t do it alone. In Luke 1:37 it says that “Nothing is impossible with God”. If we put our faith in God we can accomplish anything. So what this text is saying is if we put our faith in God during our times of trouble we will get rewarded for it…

…It may not be a material reward, it may not be immediate, it may not be what we would expect… But God is faithful and promises to be a refuge and a stronghold for His people.