“Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things!” (Joel 2:21)

Living in the time periods of the prophets would not be easy. Each prophet had a major problem against the people to contend with, which mostly warned of war and exile. But they also all had close communication with God the Father. This connection to God brought in hope and peace. Today we see a direct response to that hope in Joel 2:21. As Christians living in America, we may not fear invasion or exile, but the world has definitely been acting a bit strange. All this to say, that the words of Joel can be just as relevant today for Christians as it was for the Jews of his time.

In the end, the message is simple. Put our faith and trust in Christ Jesus, our hope in God the Father, and live in harmony with God and the Holy Spirit. And by living our lives dedicated to the Lord, we can live a life without fear. We can rejoice, even in our suffering, as we know God’s kingdom has been promised to us. And we can certainly be glad, because our redeemer has done all the work for us. Jesus’ death on the cross has beaten death and His resurrection has promised life. “Surely the Lord has done great things!”