What do you do when the world suddenly stops, and you stop with it, and there is no telling which way the next step should go? This sermon turns to the book of Joel, where a plague of locusts strips an entire country bare and the prophet calls the whole people to pour their pain out before God rather than drown it out (Joel 1). Set alongside stories of September 11th, a school shooting and the pandemic, it shows that moments of standstill can become the most important lesson of our lives. Listen if your own world has just stopped and you are looking for direction.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Joel describes the locust plague and how different groups react: drunkards left without wine, priests unable to offer sacrifices, and farmers with no harvest. What does this picture tell us about how a crisis touches everyone?
- Joel does not call this plague punishment for a specific sin, yet he calls for a fast, a sacred assembly, and crying out to God (Joel 1:13-14). Why is his call to turn to God rather than to look for someone to blame?
- The sermon mentions Scrooge from A Christmas Carol, who began to live differently after seeing his past and future. How can looking at the past and at eternity change the way you live today?
- The speaker notes that in hard times people either turn away from God or numb the pain with alcohol, work, or pleasure. What do you most often reach for when your world stands still?
- The sermon suggests that suffering is like a hearing aid that sharpens our ears to what God wants to say. What has a difficult season in your life taught you?
- What one thing that needs mending, forgiving, or talking through is waiting for you this week, and how can you bring it to God?
