(Joel 2:11-17)
The Lord thunders commands to his army.
The troops that obey him are many and mighty.
How terrible is the day of the Lord!
Who will survive it?
“But even now,” says the Lord,
“repent sincerely and return to me
with fasting and weeping and mourning.
Let your broken heart show your sorrow;
tearing your clothes is not enough.”
Come back to the Lord your God.
He is kind and full of mercy;
he is patient and keeps his promise;
he is always ready to forgive and not punish.
Perhaps the Lord your God will change his mind
and bless you with abundant corps.
Then you can offer him grain and wine.
Blow the trumpet on Mount Zion;
give orders for a fast and call an assembly!
Gather the people together;
prepare them for a sacred meeting;
bring the old people;
gather the children and the babies too.
Even newly married couples must leave their homes
and come.
The priests, serving the Lord between the altar
and the entrance of the Temple,
must weep and pray:
“Have pity on your people, Lord.
Do not let other nations despise us and mock us
by saying, ‘Where is your God?’”
Saturday, October 17, 2009
19.1 Proclaim A Fast
(Joel 1:13-20)
Put on sackcloth and weep,
you priests who serve at the altar!
Go into the Temple and mourn all night!
There is no grain or wine to offer your God.
Give orders for a fast; call an assembly!
Gather the leaders and all the people of Judah
into the Temple of the Lord your God
and cry out to him!
The day of the Lord is near,
the day when the Almighty brings destruction.
What terror that will bring!
We look on helpless as our crops are destroyed.
There is no joy in the Temple of our God.
The seeds die in the dry earth.
There is no grain to be stored,
and so the empty granaries are in ruins.
The cattle are bellowing in distress
because there is no pasture for them;
the flocks of sheep also suffer.
I cry out to you, Lord,
because the pastures and trees are dried up,
as though a fire had burned them.
Even the wild animals cry out to you
because the streams have become dry.
Put on sackcloth and weep,
you priests who serve at the altar!
Go into the Temple and mourn all night!
There is no grain or wine to offer your God.
Give orders for a fast; call an assembly!
Gather the leaders and all the people of Judah
into the Temple of the Lord your God
and cry out to him!
The day of the Lord is near,
the day when the Almighty brings destruction.
What terror that will bring!
We look on helpless as our crops are destroyed.
There is no joy in the Temple of our God.
The seeds die in the dry earth.
There is no grain to be stored,
and so the empty granaries are in ruins.
The cattle are bellowing in distress
because there is no pasture for them;
the flocks of sheep also suffer.
I cry out to you, Lord,
because the pastures and trees are dried up,
as though a fire had burned them.
Even the wild animals cry out to you
because the streams have become dry.
Monday, June 15, 2009
18.5 The Lord Is Faithful Forever
(Psalm 89:1-18)
O Lord, I will always sing of your constant love;
I will proclaim your faithfulness forever.
I know that your love will last for all time,
that your faithfulness is as permanent as the sky.
You said, “I have made a covenant with the man
I chose;
I have promised my servant David,
‘A descendant of yours will always be king;
I will preserve your dynasty forever.’”
The heavens sing of the wonderful things you do;
they sing of your faithfulness, Lord.
No one in heaven is like you, Lord;
none of the heavenly beings is your equal.
You are respected in the council of the holy ones;
they all stand in awe of you.
Lord God Almighty, none is as mighty as you;
in all things you are faithful, O Lord.
You rule over the powerful sea;
you calm its angry waves.
You crushed the monster Rahab and killed it;
with your mighty strength you defeated
your enemies.
Heaven is yours, the earth also;
you made the world and everything in it.
You created the north and the south;
Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon sing to you
for joy.
How powerful you are!
How great is your strength!
Your kingdom is founded on righteousness and
Justice;
love and faithfulness are shown in all you do.
How happy are the people who worship you
with songs;
who live in the light of you kindness!
Because of you they rejoice all day long,
and they praise you for your goodness.
You give us great victories;
in your love you make us triumphant.
You, O Lord, chose our protector;
you, the Holy God of Israel, gave us our king.
O Lord, I will always sing of your constant love;
I will proclaim your faithfulness forever.
I know that your love will last for all time,
that your faithfulness is as permanent as the sky.
You said, “I have made a covenant with the man
I chose;
I have promised my servant David,
‘A descendant of yours will always be king;
I will preserve your dynasty forever.’”
The heavens sing of the wonderful things you do;
they sing of your faithfulness, Lord.
No one in heaven is like you, Lord;
none of the heavenly beings is your equal.
You are respected in the council of the holy ones;
they all stand in awe of you.
Lord God Almighty, none is as mighty as you;
in all things you are faithful, O Lord.
You rule over the powerful sea;
you calm its angry waves.
You crushed the monster Rahab and killed it;
with your mighty strength you defeated
your enemies.
Heaven is yours, the earth also;
you made the world and everything in it.
You created the north and the south;
Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon sing to you
for joy.
How powerful you are!
How great is your strength!
Your kingdom is founded on righteousness and
Justice;
love and faithfulness are shown in all you do.
How happy are the people who worship you
with songs;
who live in the light of you kindness!
Because of you they rejoice all day long,
and they praise you for your goodness.
You give us great victories;
in your love you make us triumphant.
You, O Lord, chose our protector;
you, the Holy God of Israel, gave us our king.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
18.4 I Will Make An Eternal Covenant
(Jeremiah 32:40-41)
I will make an eternal covenant with them. I will never stop doing good things for them, and I will make them fear me with all their heart, so that they will never turn away from me. I will take pleasure in doing good things for them, and I will establish them permanently in this land.
I will make an eternal covenant with them. I will never stop doing good things for them, and I will make them fear me with all their heart, so that they will never turn away from me. I will take pleasure in doing good things for them, and I will establish them permanently in this land.
Friday, June 5, 2009
18.3 God’s Love Will Never End
(Isaiah 54:9-10)
“In the time of Noah I promised
never again to flood the earth.
Now I promise not to be angry with you again;
I will not reprimand or punish you.
The mountains and hills may crumble,
but my love for you will never end;
I will keep forever my promise of peace.”
So says the Lord who loves you.
“In the time of Noah I promised
never again to flood the earth.
Now I promise not to be angry with you again;
I will not reprimand or punish you.
The mountains and hills may crumble,
but my love for you will never end;
I will keep forever my promise of peace.”
So says the Lord who loves you.
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