The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Joel 2:1-6, “Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near…” 2 A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness. As the dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a great and mighty people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it To the years of many generations. 3 A fire consumes before them, And behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, But a desolate wilderness behind them, and nothing at all escapes them. 4 Their appearance is like the appearance of horses; and like war horses, so they run. 5 With a noise as of chariots they leap on the tops of the mountains, like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble, like a mighty people arranged for battle. 6 Before them the people are in anguish; all faces turn pale.”

If you ever experience a dark and dismal day, and if you have wished for something better, you might do well to read the book of Joel. We tend to treat our dismal days as unique. But they are not unique! Bad days have always been before us, just as they were in the days of our ancestors.

The difference between a “good” day and a “dismal” day is whether our focus is upon the circumstances of life or upon the LORD who controls the circumstances. Focus is not only a key word; it is often placed there by the LORD in order to rearrange our thinking.

If we accurately assess the presence of the LORD in even the worst possible situation, we can yet fully depend upon Him either to rescue us or reveal His purpose in allowing the discomforting encounter. In either situation, we should be comforted by His loving presence and ultimate rescue.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D. Springdale, Arkansas 72764 United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom