Weep for the devastation. Weep for the land that has been ransacked. Weep for the food that is no longer available. Weep for the streams that are dry and the utter scarcity of water. In fact, you don’t even have to work at weeping. It just comes because of the devastation. But weep for your sins. Not just the devastation.

The land has been utterly devastated. The LORD says to grieve like a young virgin full of hope and in love who has lost her fiancé.

“Surely the joy of mankind is withered away” (v. 12).

Judgment is thorough. And it is horrific.

And what should our response be? Beyond weeping for what we lost?

Weeping for our sins.

“Declare a holy fist; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD” (Joel 1:14).

It makes me think of a horrific video I saw awhile back ago. A man who had been married for many years, had teenage children and a good life, was caught trying to solicit a 14 year old girl for intimate relations. At first when he was caught by YouTubers, he cried. Although the tears weren’t very believable.

But then they called up his wife in his hearing. She was so distraught she said she was going to take her life. Her shrieks and her tears were awful. I hate that it is even on YouTube. It was then that the man’s tears became what seemed to be a lot more real. He was beginning to realize he couldn’t have his wife and family and little girls on the side as well.

There are a number of reasons we can weep. Some because what we have lost. Other tears are for being caught. But the weeping the LORD wants is the weeping of repentance. This is what will save a nation. When a nation recognizes it cannot have both rebellion against God and God.

When we study revival history, we see that almost without exception every revival has been birthed out of repentance and confession of sin. This is true not just of national or regional revival but I think of personal revival as well.

Perhaps this is the message of Joel for his time and for ours. The way forward is repentance. Without it there can be no change.