Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done marvelous things! (Joel 2:21)
One of the core principles from the Bible is, “obey is better than sacrifice and to pay attention to God is better than the fat of rams”. When Israelites repeatedly disobeyed God and abandoned Him, God brought a warning through Joel that the day of the Lord (day of the judgment) is at hand (Joel 2:1). However, our God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. He gives us second chances before He brings the discipline. He said, “turn to Me with all your heart” (v. 12), and if we turn, instead of bringing judgment and anger, he brings rejoice and gladness (v.21) to our heats.
The Christmas season reminds us of the theme “Joy to the World.” When we all obey, look, and turn our hearts to Jesus, He can bring His “Joy to our hearts” and instead of having “fear in our hearts.” May this Christmas season bring you joy instead of fear in everybody’s life.