Joel 1:14 KJV — Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, (References: Joel 1,2)
Prayer is not another religious ritual but the main act of faith. It is the avenue to seek God and see His power at work.
We will be spending the next 21 days praying and preaching. We shall be declaring the word of the Lord over the Land. Our anchor text shall be the book of Joel. We are inspired to pray and stand in the gap for the land. The land is in dire need and the least we can do as the church and body of believers is to pray.
The prophet Joel in his prophecy reveals the following three (3) things;
- The extent of damage and destruction that has come upon the land; by showing how both fully matured locust to developing locust have plundered the Land.
- What action we can take to come out of total annihilation: Call a solemn assembly, fast, and pray while we work to restore things
- What to expect: Restoration, outpouring that leads to empowerment and direction, equipment to rebuild.
Joel 1:4 KJV — That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.
The prophet Joel shows that everyone should be concerned. For the first time, I see a prophet concerned about drunkards; then concerned about virgins (because their husbands can’t go on a honeymoon if their houses must not starve to death); then he was concerned about the priest, times had become so hard that worshippers could not bring their offerings to church.
Joel 1:5-7 KJV — Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth. [6] For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. [7] He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.
Joel 1:8 KJV — Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.
Joel 1:13-14 KJV — Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. [14] Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD,
In Joel 2, he begins to call for a gathering of believers to pray, and fast, and take action. The prophet begins to call upon the nation to fast and pray and take action.
Why make time and pray?
I make time to pray because;
- It tells God that I trust Him. Shall the son of man find faith when He returns. Men ought to always pray.
- It reminds me that I cannot make it on my own.
- It gives me access to the hidden realms of power. The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous makes tremendous power available.
- It releases new strength and direction to continue.
- It moves God to show me great and mighty unsearchable things
- It transforms my anxiety to peace that surpasses all understanding
- It prepares my future, transforms my present, and heals my past wounds and hurts.
- It keeps me from fainting and getting discouraged
What will happen when we pray?
When the church fast, pray, and take action;
- The Lord will restore the wasted years
- The Lord will pour out His Spirit upon us and equip us with tools to prosper: old men shall dream dreams, young men shall see visions, we shall be equipped with utterance to cast visions and inspire positive action.
- The Lord will show signs and wonders in heaven; and whosoever shall call upon the Lord shall be delivered
I see restoration, empowerment, signs and wonders, and deliverance in the church and the Lord. Go tell it on the mountains over the hills and far away. Call the people! Blow the trumpet and let the people gather! This is the time to wake up, proclaim a fast and pray!
Stay blessed
