Joel 2:12 - Fasting in Worship

Joel 2:12

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“Return to Me with all your heart,
And with fasting, weeping and mourning;

Message: Fasting in Worship

Time: Little is known of the prophet Joel. He identified himself as the son of Pethuel, preached to the people of Judah, and expressed a great deal of interest in Jerusalem. A date of approximately 835 BC or soon after is what can be pieced together. Joel gives no indication of the time period.

What the Lord is Saying: Fasting is the lesson today. Corporate and individual. Lately, whenever I think of fasting, I think of my brothers and sisters in Africa and how fasting is a normal part of their lives - a common occurrence. My friend Daniel and new convert Akeem in Nigeria have been fasting for 30 days now. A friend in Tororo, Uganda mentions that he and his church fast frequently, dedicating their time together to pray for all of the various needs of their community and beyond. In contrast, fasting is something in the United States that is not mentioned much or I don't hear of people fasting very much or at all. 

And in this lesson today, the writers of Tabletalk mention that fasting is not necessarily only an individual practice by people but something groups of people will do or the church even corporately. 

Today's passage from Joel 2 is an interesting call by the priests of that day to warn people of the consequence of sin. In this passage is a description of the impending judgments - the Day of the Lord is coming (Joel 2:1) - and then its description follows. There is meant to be an alarm going off before the people of the intensity and wide effects of this judgment (darkness, never been like it nor again, nothing escapes it, people are trying to flee with all of their power because of what is coming, people in anguish, faces pale, who can endure it?). It affects everyone and this description seems to take up the first 11 verses of the chapter. 

And so then the response from the people is a response now to return to God with all of our hearts. "All" to me points to everything. It is consecrating everything to Him. It is complete surrender. It is to align ourselves only with the way of Jesus Christ. It is to stare at everything in our life that is potentially an idol and turn from it. The word "return" is used. "Return to Me." It is the realization that we have gone astray, that I do go astray, that I get myself off track often and aligned in other realms and other dimensions of my life and so I need to return to God. And so in this recognition, this turning from our sin - is it just to be different? Yes. But the response begins first with a time of "fasting, weeping and mourning." 

To start new is to wipe out everything that was there before. And for us as believers in Christ, it starts with fasting. Everything is silenced for a moment (food, TV, screens, worldly ways), for a time to get things right with God and this includes weeping and mourning over getting off track in my life -- so that when I start anew I start right with him, then introducing things into my life that are correct. It is pulling back and seeing that the going through of the motions of life is moving me away from Him. It is complete surrender and complete turning away from sin to embrace completely Christ and His righteousness. 

In some ways this is what happens anytime I come before God. It is right now as I read and discover this passage and spend time alone with God as I start my day. It is when I gather together with other Christians and re-root myself as we discuss our lives and how they have gotten off-centered and Christ needs to be at the center. It happens when I go to church and sing songs and lift up the name of Jesus in song and praise. I return to Him, to center myself, to align myself with him, setting aside all that has happened maybe in the week prior of getting my focus off of Him. And in that there is worship through fasting, through weeping over my sin and what I did, mourning over my sin and the consequences that resulted from that. 

And then what follows is verse 18 and beyond is God's deliverance. See the problem - turn - God will save. This the extent of the gospel -- 1) see your sin; 2) turn from your sin and 3) God saves us. 

In this seeing sin is seeing that judgment is real and is coming. This is a reminder I need, because in my selfish interests continually of getting things I want I forget about this future judgment actually taking place. It is true I made a point decision in life in 1982 to turn from sin to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ, but this turning needs to be daily because the temptation to follow idols is present each day. And so because of this, shouldn't my actions be fasting, weeping and mourning - over the fact that I trade truth for a lie continually. 

Summary: I need to realize that judgment is a reality. I have wandered from him and still do. Judgement is coming. So stop. Return to God. With All of My Heart. Start with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 

Promise: When we fast, we are driven to more urgent prayer and to remember our creaturely dependence. If you have not fasted before, consider whether you should fast and pray this week.

  

Prayer: O God, wow. Your word is so alive. Even in this moment, you remind me that judgment is coming and from that I can see more clearly now that I still get side tracked and away from you and aligned with other priorities of my days and get off track. I refuge in entertainment, selfish ways. Yes, I work hard, but I don't actively and intentionally bring you up and show others that what I am doing is for your glory. God, I return to You. With all of my heart. I consecrate all of me to You. You are Holy Forever. I can then start afresh with Fasting, while in those moments I weep and mourn for my past sin of replacing You. O God, thank you that you are there waiting to deliver me and set me right always. You are the God who saves. You are Holy Forever.