MAGNIFY ~ Day 44

~ Day Forty-Four ~

MAGNIFY

No Other Name

The Book of Joel ~ Chapter Two

"Now, therefore," says the LORD,

"Turn to Me with all your heart,

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning."

So rend your heart, and not your garments;

return to the LORD your God,

for He is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and of great kindness;

and He relents from doing harm.

Who knows if He will turn and relent,

and leave a blessing behind Him -

a grain offering and drink offering

for the LORD your God?"

(Joel 2:12-14)

MORNING MEDITATION

Repentance

The land of Judah was ravaged by a relentless swarm of locusts which crashed upon the land wave after wave with destructive force until the whole land was laid waste. "What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has eaten; and what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten" (Joel 1:4). The people were overcome with fear and dread, but the Lord graciously sent His servant Joel to shine the light of his Word upon the situation to warn the people that this national disaster was a harbinger of God's greater judgment to come and that they needed to repent. "The LORD gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; who can endure it?" (Joel 2:11).

"Repent therefore and be converted,

that your sins may be blotted out,

so that times of refreshing may come

from the presence of the Lord."

(Acts 3:19)

Though we may not understand the ways of the Lord, we should be grateful that He mercifully intervenes in history to prevent mankind from spiraling out of control and down the sinful, selfish, dangerous path which leads to utter destruction (The Flood (Genesis 7), The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11), Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19)). Joel and his fellow prophets spoke a lot about the day of the Lord (Isaiah 2:12; Jeremiah 30:7; Amos 5:18; Zephaniah 1:14) - those epic moments when God dramatically enters into the space-time arena to assert His power, bringing wrath upon the wicked and salvation to the righteous. For Israel, the immediate locust invasion was a "day of the Lord," but the imminent Babylonian invasion would also be a "day of the Lord." It is important to note that the day of the Lord is not just a day of wrath and judgment, it is also a day of deliverance and restoration, which brings future hope of prosperity and blessing to the righteous. The first and second Advent's of the Lord are also called "the day of the LORD." The future, final, and ultimate "day of the Lord" will usher in a time of darkness and wrath like has never been seen but will also herald the blessing of God's eternal reign over His people. "For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should not overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thessalonians 5:2-6). At any moment that day may burst upon us, and God is warning us today, through natural disasters and global pandemics, that we still have an opportunity repent of our sin and turn from our wicked ways. "Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning" (v. 12). The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but desires all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). He wants us to express sorrow for sin and return to Him, for He is "gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm" (v. 13b). He desires to have us restored to fellowship with Him, and so He is reluctant to punish. Judgment is His "unusual act" (Isaiah 28:21). We are in a state of spiritual emergency in our day, just as they were in Joel's day, and it is vital that the people of God to gather together to pray with a spirit of true repentance and humility before the Lord, seeking His face with an earnest desire for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Let us heed the sound of the trumpet and fall on our faces before the Lord. It is time for the Body of Christ to get serious about prayer, fasting, and repentance - all lives depend on it! Repentance must precede revival - it will not come any other way! "Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and the nursing babes; let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, and the bride from her dressing room. Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar; let them say, "Spare Your people, O LORD, and do not give Your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is there God?' " (vv. 15-17). "Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together" (Psalm 34:3).

"But the day of the Lord will come

as a thief in the night,

in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise,

and the elements will melt with fervent heat;

both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved,

what manner of persons ought you to be

in holy conduct and holiness,

looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God,

because of which the heavens will be dissolved,

being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

Nevertheless we, according to the promise,

look for new heavens and a new earth

in which righteousness dwells."

(2 Peter 3:10-13)

AFTERNOON DEVOTION

Read: Joel Chapter Two

"And it shall come to pass afterward

that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;

your sons and your daughters shall prophecy,

your old men shall dream dreams,

your young men shall see visions.

And also on My menservants and on My maidservants

I will pour out My Spirit in those days."

(Joel 2:28, 29)

The OT prophets knew that repentance preceded God's blessings. Genuine repentance is our Great Physician's prescription for individual and national healing (2 Chronicles 7:14). God promises to bring restoration and blessing to His people and to the land when we come together in prayer seeking true reformation and renewal. Sadly, it often takes a catastrophe to shake us out of our complacency and set us back on proper course to return to Him with all our hearts. "Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, and pity His people..." (v. 18). The first trumpet that was sounded alerted the people to approaching danger (v.1); but the second trumpet was sounded to call for a religious solemn assembly (v. 15). The people had been warned of imminent disaster, but the only appropriate response that could save them was wholehearted, brokenhearted repentant prayer. Despite their disobedience which called for judgment, their humbled response would result in restored favor and blessing with God. "...rejoice in the LORD your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you - the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil." (vv. 23, 24). In our 42-day journey with Job which preceded these three days with Joel, we learned that God's uses our afflictions and suffering to prepares us for greater spiritual blessings. He makes us a more fitting vessel for His service by stripping us of our desires for physical and material restoration and replaces those natural desires with an earnest spiritual desire and zeal that seeks only after the glory of His name and the advancement of His kingdom in the hearts of all men. It is this purified and consecrated vessel that the Lord can entrust with the precious treasures of His kingdom. We may not all be blessed with worldly wealth and creature comforts, but we all may be blessed with "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). May we not settle for lesser things than the fullness of life that Jesus has promised us (John 10:10)! "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten...you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you..." (vv. 25a, 26a). Joel reveals that in the last days before the ultimate "day of the Lord" there will be a marvelous outpouring of the Holy Spirit accompanied by signs and wonders. "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh..." (v. 28a). On the day of Pentecost, Peter announced that the same Holy Spirit that was spoken by the prophet Joel had come (Acts 2:16-21); however, the signs that Joel mentions that follow the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will be fulfilled later when Christ returns (vv. 30, 31). "And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved..." (v. 32a). As we pray in the spirit of true repentance and genuine sorrow for our sin, let us also pray for the deepening work of the Holy Spirit within the hearts of God's people to do His sanctifying work with His Word within (John 17:17-19), and so rid us of all rivals and idols that compete for the Lord's affections, so that He alone may have our wholehearted devotion and adoration and be pleased to bless us with delightful seasons of refreshing and fullness of joy in His presence. Let us pray believing, not doubting, that He has seasons of spiritual power and blessing ahead for His church! "Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together" (Psalm 34:3).

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know

assuredly that God has made this Jesus,

whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

Now when they heard this,

they were cut to the heart,

and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles,

"Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

Then Peter said to them,

"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized

in the name of Jesus Christ

for the remission of sins;

and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

For the promise is to you and your children,

and to all who are afar off,

as many as the Lord our God will call."

(Acts 2:36-39)

EVENING PRAYER

"LORD, I know that You can do everything,

and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You."

(Job 42:2)

Listen to the evening audio prayer by

clicking or tapping HERE or the YouTube image

Subscribe to the Trumpet and Torch Ministries official You Tube Channel

to receive automated notifications for the daily prayers.

The Battle Hymn of the Republic

Mine eyes have seen the glory

Of the coming of the Lord;

He is trampling out the vintage

Where the grapes of wrath are stored;

He hath loosed the fateful lightning

Of His terrible swift sword;

His truth is marching on.

Chorus

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!

His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watchfires

Of a hundred circling camps

They have builded Him an altar

In the evening dews and damps;

I can read His righteous sentence

By the dim and flaring lamps;

His day is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet

That shall never call retreat;

He is sifting out the hearts of men

Before His judgement seat;

Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him;

Be jubilant, my feet;

Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies

Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in His bosom

That transfigures you and me;

As He died to make men holy,

Let us die to make men free;

While God is marching on.

Chorus

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!

His truth is marching on.

Julia Ward Howe, 1861

Thank you for traveling with us through the Book of Job

but our 45-day MAGNIFY journey is not over!

The Lord has been preparing our hearts,

just as He did with His servant Job,

for this time of intercession.

Join us for 3 days of prayer, fasting, and repentance

October 31st through November 2nd

with

The Book of Joel

as we submit to the righteous rule of God's Divine Government

and intercede as the elect in this election season

for the righteousness of the Branch of the Lord

to permeate every branch of government

and the hearts of the people, and heal this land.

"For the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our Lawgiver,

the LORD is our King; He will save us" (Isaiah 33:22).

"Blow the trumpet in Zion,

consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly;

gather the people, sanctify the congregation,

assemble the elders, gather the children and the nursing babes;

let the bridegroom go out from his chamber,

and the bride from her dressing room.

Let the priests, who minister to the LORD,

weep between the temple porch and the altar;

let them say, "Spare Your people, O LORD,

and do not give Your heritage to reproach,

that the nations should rule over them.

Why should they say among the peoples,

'Where is their God?' "

(Joel 2:15-17)

Be sure to make your VOTE count this Tuesday, November 3rd!

PRAY - VOTE - STAND

When you are biblically-correct, then you are politically-correct!

Vote Biblical Values!

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.

It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

~ John Adams, To the Massachusetts Militia, October 11, 1798

Read the Party Platforms HERE

www.prayvotestand.org

"It is error alone which needs the support of government.

TRUTH can stand by itself."

~ Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia

"Indeed we count them blessed who endure.

You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord -

that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful" (James 5:10).

www.trumpetandtorch.org

If you have missed any of the MAGNIFY devotional emails

in our journey through the Book of Job

just click or tap these links:

MAGNIFY No Other Name ~ Invitation to the Feast

MAGNIFY ~ Day One

MAGNIFY ~ Day Two

MAGNIFY ~ Day Three

....Read More Devotionals

Read about 2020

The Year of Divine Government

HERE

IF My people will humble themselves

and PRAY

A Pandemic Prayer Proclamation