Joel 1:1-4

 Friday our nation observed the tragedies of “9/11" and those we lostMany of us remember the very moment when we first heart of it- for several hours we could hardly breathe• we watched endless reruns of two airliners, smashing into the iconic “Twin Towers” in New York City◦ we didn’t want to see it, but we couldn’t look away◦ we could not avoid the reality of it• and each time we looked, we felt helpless, outrage, and extreme sadness- every disaster of that magnitude, wounds a country’s soul• we don’t just walk away and return to our usual routine◦ it creates a fog of confusion that we feel we must sort out◦ it stirs up insecurities that leave us groping for answers• for sometime after, we remain alert, sensitive, aware◦ for awhile, we’re ready to listen; we’re paying attention and eager to learnThis is the right time for us to approach the prophecies of JoelIsrael was experiencing a catastrophic trauma- it was not localized, but spread across the entire nation• at times in this first chapter, Joel sounds like a newscaster;◦ reporting the wide range of destruction◦ the food source of the entire country was running out• Joel, however, was not merely delivering a report;◦ he was delivering “The word of the LORD”