Joel 2:12-17

12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,“return to me with all your heart,with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.”Return to the Lord your God,for he is gracious and merciful,slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;and he relents over disaster.14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,and leave a blessing behind him,a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion;consecrate a fast;call a solemn assembly;16 gather the people.Consecrate the congregation;assemble the elders;gather the children,even nursing infants.Let the bridegroom leave his room,and the bride her chamber.
17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, “Spare your people, O Lord,and make not your heritage a reproach,a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples,‘Where is their God?’”

What strikes me is the verse 13..."for he is gracious and merciful,slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;and he relents over disaster." Our God who is glorious and mighty, above all and has the power to whatever He wills. We deserved to be snuffed out in an instance! Yet he gives us a gracious chance to repent and to change our ways and run to Him. He still desires to show us mercy. It would be very frightening to live every day if we knew that He was not gracious or quick to anger!!! Yet even in our foolishness he calls us to repent and if we do, he relents His wrath. He hears our cries and does not turn a deaf ear towards them. And His is steadfast! It is not going to change from one occasion to the next. Forever He will love us! How exciting and freeing! This whole chapter is a wonderful picture of God's future plan of salvation, through the death of His Son. We get to enjoy that now! We must be humble and not forget our God and who He is and what He has done for us!

Matthew Henry said: "God is ready to succour his people; and he waits to be gracious. They prayed that God would spare them, and he answered them." The next section goes into how God answered them. But the fact that we would even do that and wait graciously for them to respond, is AMAZING! What are we doing a daily basis to recount the glories of our God? When God graciously reveals sin in our lives, how will be respond? Also, when others sin against us and wrong us, how will we respond? Like our Heavenly Father, slow to anger and in gracious mercy and love?