Joel 1 Joel gives us a devastating description of what God can do.. and will do.. to call His people back to Himself.. 

The locusts came.. and destroyed every crop.. " for a nation has invaded my land, mighty and without number; its teeth are the teeth of a lion.. it has made my vine a waste, and my fig tree splinters.  It has stripped them bare and cast them away." (v4-7)  Everything is ruined.. grain, vines, fruit trees.. everything. 

"Indeed, rejoicing dries up." (v12) 

Joel exhorts the people to do the one thing that they can do in light of such a disaster.. PRAY!  " Gird yourself with sackcloth and lament, O priests; Wail, O ministers of the altar! Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God..   consecrate a fast, Proclaim a solemn assembly.. gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord." (v13-14) 

This is the warning.. "Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty." (v15) 

If we think that the Lord will overlook the sins of America.. we are wrong! The day of the Lord will come and destruction will be even worse than what Joel describes here.  The book of Revelation makes it very clear. What can we do?  Only what Joel tells us here.. we need to pray.. we need to cry out to the Lord with sincere and humble hearts. We need Jesus!

Father in heaven, You are holy and righteous and patient.. yet we know that there will be a time when You will bring judgement upon the earth.. when it will be too late for those who stubbornly refuse to repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.  We cry out to You, Lord, that hearts will be convicted of sin.. that they might repent and be forgiven.. that lives will be made new by the power of Jesus Christ.. that there will be a harvest of souls for the kingdom of God.  Come Holy Spirit and fill us today and let the Word of the Lord fill this land. We need You desperately.  In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.