We drove 800 miles yesterday, from Dallas, Texas, to Nashville, Tennessee. I was reminded again of what a beautiful country America is. This time of year is especially nice. As we drove northeast, we enjoyed the temperature dropping just a little and notice the gradual change in the leaves. Autumn is definitely here!
October 1st is always a special day for me. October is my favorite month with many of my favorite things: cooler weather, Autumn colors, harvest time, all this announcing that Thanksgiving and Christmas are around the corner. I'm also reminded to slow down and enjoy the change of seasons.
As we got to our hotel last night, I was eager to get to bed, tired after many hours on the road. But once everyone had settled down into their beds, I was compelled to read. I grabbed my Bible and reading light, snuggling down for a little read before I fell off to sleep.
At first, I just looked through my Bible, reading the passages I had highlighted over the years. I like to look at the things that have been important to me in times past and see what I think of them today. I found myself in the book of Joel. As I looked over those passages highlighted in green, I couldn't remember when I had read there and marked those words, but I found it appropriate for the mood I was in.
I looked at the introduction to Joel. It says, "Joel is a highly emotional prophecy, rich in imagery and vivid descriptions." Sounds like a good story to me. So I began to read. I read until I got to the highlighted passage in chapter 2. Then, as I read those words again, they had a different meaning to me. So, I decided to share them with you today.
Joel 2:12-13 says, "Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil."
As I read those verses, I thought, what a good time to quiet myself, turn to the Lord FULLY, and KNOW that he is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, kind, and forgiving. With all the BUSYness of my life right now and probably yours, too, it is good to be still and remember who He is and enjoy the blessing of His character and His presence.
