Tuesday 24 January 2023
To you, O Lord, I cry. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flames have burned all the trees of the field. Even the wild animals cry to you because the watercourses are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness. (vs 19-20)
Background
This passage begins with rounding off the call to respond to the plague of locusts with repentance, this time for all the people. A combination of fasting and prayer is called for, which remains a common response to an overwhelming disaster.
Verse 15 looks at what is happening and wonders if it is a sign that 'the Day of the Lord is near'. The phrase is common throughout Scripture and far beyond, but was Joel’s usage similar to ours? Joel repeatedly uses strong imagery, describing the plague of locusts as an invading army, and while the origins of the 'Day of the Lord' are lost this is one of the frequent images in the Old Testament (for example see Zephaniah 1:14-16).
Another strong idea taught was that the Day of the Lord was a day of judgement, particularly for Israel and Judah: see Amos 5:18-20. We will need to carry on reading more of the lament to discover how Joel views the Day of the Lord here.
Meanwhile, there is the pain of the lament. Dwelling on persistent pain is not easy and our society struggles with the concept. Those with chronic pain and long-term health conditions know all too well how impossible people find that to accept. This is how we get people with lifetime conditions needing to be assessed every year to see if they have 'got better'.
So Joel continues with the lament, poetry emoting the destruction and loss and sharing the depth and breadth of destruction. We have similar stories today but our media chooses not to show them, always moving on. Young people suffer from climate anxiety, noticing the disconnect between the reality and the way politicians present it.
Perhaps one of the key lessons from Joel is the power of truth-telling, of not moving on from the pain too fast because actually sharing the truth of pain is healthier than trying to hide it.
To Ponder:
- What experiences do you have of telling the truth of pain rather than hiding it, playing it down or pretending it's not there?
- Where are we hearing the truth of our society? Of wars and the devastation they leave for generations? Of climate change?
- What helps us most through crises?
Prayer
Holy God, sit with us through the pain and struggles. Be truth, persistence, patience and kindness for us. Amen.