He will pour out His Spirit

Press the play button to watch the video above or press 'more' to read the transcript of the daily devotion below. Please read Joel 2: 25-32 (use your own Bible or use the link above to access the in-App Bible).

What will happen when I die? This is a not infrequent question I get asked as a hospital chaplain. I wonder what you would say? It’s questions like this that make me aware of what I do know, what I don’t know, and where I put my trust.

Our passage from Joel today comes straight after God says He will restore the land and take pity on His people. The restoration, He says, will show the people that He is their God, that there is no other beside Him. It will be a sign that they can trust Him completely.

Is this something you feel like you can say? Do you feel like you trust God? Have you seen God at work in ways that mean you can say there is no other besides you God?

Many people I know tell stories of God answering their prayers, His miraculous intervention in their lives, their conviction that the words they read in the Bible are true beyond doubt. But there are also others I meet who aren’t sure, they have doubts, they want to believe but don’t feel convinced yet, something big has happened in their life and they’re not sure what they can trust. Doubts, wobbles, big questions, I think that’s all OK. It can be a really hard place to be in – you’re not sure who or what to trust.

I think the second half of our passage offers some ways forwards. God declares, He will pour out His Spirit on all people. As Christians, we believe this promise was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, when people from all backgrounds received the Holy Spirit. When we are troubled by doubt, when we are finding it hard to trust in God, I think this passage encourages us to ask God to send His Spirit on us, to give us dreams or prophecies, to see visions or wonders. Part of the role of the Holy Spirit is to help us in our faith. So I encourage you, when faith feels hard, to ask the Holy Spirit for an encouragement, that you will know the Lord as your God, and that there is no other beside Him.