When Life Hits You Crossways

Joel 1:1-20

Make sure each person remembers this natural and national disaster. (1-4)

Mourn the destruction of the locusts. (5-13)

Don’t just mourn, cry-out to God. (14)

Cry-out to God, because God is sovereign. (15-20)

How does Joel’s prophecy to Israel apply to our lives today?

When life hits you crossways, don’t climb into a hole, cry-out to God.

Warm-up. Have there ever been circumstances in your like that caused you to turn to God in new or deeper ways? What was the circumstance and how did it impact your spiritual life?

1. Read verses 1-4. What appeal is being made by Joel to the people in verses 2-3? What happened in Israel that caused Joel to make this appeal according to verse 4?

2. Read verses 5-13. In these verses Joel calls on several groups of people to mourn this devastating event. What are the different words Joel uses for mourning in these verses (there are at least 5)? What do these verses teach us about why the people should be in such deep mourning? How does the vivid language Joel uses help you to better understand this difficult situation?

3. Read verse 14. What four things does Joel instruct the people to do in response to this tragedy? How would you summarize this verse in your own words?

4. Read verse 15-20. What do these verses teach us about why the people should "cry out" to God in response to this tragedy? Who is sovereign and in control of this terrible event? Why does this matter? How does this make you feel?

So what. Based on our study of this passage, how should we respond to challenging and tragic events in our lives? Why is it important for you to personally recognize that God is involved in even the most challenging events of your life?