Day 1
The Weary World Rejoices
A thrill of hope
the weary world rejoices
—from O Holy Night
In the book of Joel, everything is mourning because of the destruction left behind by the locust. The ground, the animals, and the people were all weary. But it doesn’t end there. There is a promise of restoration for the people and land. A hint of something coming.
There was a four-hundred-year drought between the last prophetic books and what was written by the first disciples. We have no records of any activity between God and man. That’s a long time to carry on and stay encouraged without, at least seemingly, any type of encounter. That’s a long time to pass down belief.
All of a sudden, something shifts.
A thrill of hope fills the sky.
Good news fills the womb.
The animals too, shared space with Jesus.
The weary world rejoiced.
I believe the state of the weariness we read about in Joel 1 is relatable to this Advent season. Thousands of years later, the “land” is dry and weary for different reasons. But we still watch and wait for Jesus’ coming. For all he has done, for all he is doing, and for the fullness that is coming, we rejoice too.
Joel 2:18-32
Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things!…
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.
Brave Sparrow 