This passage of scripture comes after a section in which God has threatened to destroy all of the crops of Israel by locusts. He then states that, even after His proclamation, He will spare the Israelites if they repent. They do repent, and God promised a time of plenty. We hear these words: “The threshing floors shall be full of grain, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil” (Joel 2:24 NRSV) and “You shall eat in plenty, be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord, your God, who has dealt wondrously with you.” (Joel 2:26 NRSV).

We are reminded by this passage of God’s great desire to forgive and bless. This is one of the reasons that we include a confession in every worship service. We need to be very deliberate about asking God for forgiveness. God has assured us that if we confess our sins, they will be forgiven if our confession is sincere.

Put your trust in God.

Being Humble (Luke 18:9–14)

In our story for today, we hear about two people who come to pray. However, before the story begins, the narrator gives us this insight: “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt” (Luke 18:9 NRSV). We then hear Christ tell the story about a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee is very arrogant and is just sure that he is Holy and deserving of God’s blessings. The tax collector does not assume anything but simply asks for God’s mercy.

We need to remember that we must never think that we do not need God. It is easy to think that we are better than we are and look down our noses at others. We need to be humble and trust in God’s mercy and see all people as children of God.