The Fourth Week of October

Joel 2:23-32

²³ Children of Zion, rejoice and be glad in the Lord your God,    because he will give you the early rain as a sign of righteousness; he will pour down abundant rain for you, the early and the late rain, as before. ²⁴ The threshing floors will be full of grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and fresh oil.²⁵ I will repay you for the years that the cutting locust, the swarming locust, the hopping locust, and the devouring locust have eaten—my great army, which I sent against you.²⁶ You will eat abundantly and be satisfied, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has done wonders for you; and my people will never again be put to shame.²⁷ You will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God—no other exists; never again will my people be put to shame.²⁸ After that I will pour out my spirit upon everyone; your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.²⁹ In those days, I will also pour out my spirit on the male and female slaves.

³⁰ I will give signs in the heavens and on the earth—blood and fire and columns of smoke. ³¹ The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood before the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. ³² But everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be security, as the Lord has promised; and in Jerusalem, the Lord will summon those who survive.

Psalm 65

65:1 God of Zion, to you even silence is praise. Promises made to you are kept—² you listen to prayer—and all living things come to you.³ When wrongdoings become too much for me, you forgive our sins.⁴ How happy is the one you choose to bring close, the one who lives in your courtyards!We are filled full by the goodness of your house, by the holiness of your temple.

⁵ In righteousness you answer us, by your awesome deeds, God of our salvation—you, who are the security of all the far edges of the earth, even the distant seas.⁶ You establish the mountains by your strength; you are dressed in raw power.⁷ You calm the roaring seas; calm the roaring waves, calm the noise of the nations.⁸ Those who dwell on the far edges stand in awe of your acts. You make the gateways of morning and evening sing for joy.⁹ You visit the earth and make it abundant, enriching it greatly by God’s stream, full of water.You provide people with grain because that is what you’ve decided.¹⁰ Drenching the earth’s furrows, leveling its ridges, you soften it with rain showers; you bless its growth.¹¹ You crown the year with your goodness; your paths overflow with rich food.¹² Even the desert pastures drip with it, and the hills are dressed in pure joy.¹³ The meadowlands are covered with flocks, the valleys decked out in grain—they shout for joy; they break out in song!

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

⁶ I’m already being poured out like a sacrifice to God, and the time of my death is near. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. ⁸ At last the champion’s wreath that is awarded for righteousness is waiting for me. The Lord, who is the righteous judge, is going to give it to me on that day. He’s giving it not only to me but also to all those who have set their heart on waiting for his appearance.

Luke 18:9-14

⁹ Jesus told this parable to certain people who had convinced themselves that they were righteous and who looked on everyone else with disgust: ¹⁰ “Two people went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself with these words, ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like everyone else—crooks, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week. I give a tenth of everything I receive.’ ¹³ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He wouldn’t even lift his eyes to look toward heaven. Rather, he struck his chest and said, ‘God, show mercy to me, a sinner.’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this person went down to his home justified rather than the Pharisee. All who lift themselves up will be brought low, and those who make themselves low will be lifted up.”

We read…

Have you ever felt like you were running on empty? Maybe after a long race, a busy week, or a hard season—you’ve found yourself drained and unsure where to turn. Sometimes we pour ourselves out for so long that we forget where our strength truly comes from.

But we serve a God who never runs dry. The same God who sustains the universe is the One who sustains us.

In Psalm 65, we’re reminded that God “visits the earth and makes it abundant…providing people with grain” (v.9 CEB). God provides and sustains. Through Joel, we see a people and land left empty—and a God who promises to restore them. In Luke, Jesus tells of God’s kingdom lifting up the weary and brokenhearted. And in 2 Timothy, Paul proclaims that God’s strength has preserved him through every trial which gives him faith to expect God to continue to do so. 

Each of these passages points to one truth: God is our Sustainer. When we are empty, He fills us. When we are weak, He renews our strength.

If you feel weary today, remember—God has not forgotten you. He is still the One who restores what has been poured out. In all of these passages we learn several things about God’s character that help us in these times that we will explore in the following sections. 

We think…

• What stands out to you in these verses?
  

• Does anything confuse you or not make sense?
  

• How do these verses compare to your own experience in life or in the church?
  

• What are you considering?
  

• What questions come to mind?
  

• Why do you think Paul is sharing his hope and faith in God’s sustenance with Timothy?
  

• Why is the psalmist declaring God’s holiness and righteousness alongside his praise of God’s blessing on earth?
  

• What does the comparison in Luke 18 between the Pharisee and the tax collector reveal to us about God sustaining us through times where we cry out for help?

We feel…

• What emotions are you experiencing today? How are you making space for these feelings?
  

• Where have you seen God today or this week?
  

• What is pointing you to God (maybe it is something in creation, maybe a friend or adult that cares for you)?
  

• What has God made new in your life? In your heart? 
  

• How does the knowledge that God is the creator and sustainer of the universe make you feel when you are in those situations of burnout?
  

• How does the praise from the psalmist and the plans offered in Joel affect your emotions of feeling as though you are not enough?

We believe…

In those moments of emptiness when we are confronted with our own limitations and even our own failures where do we turn?

God is the creator and sustainer of the universe. He is the one that makes all things new and raises up those filled with despair. God is present in all of the passages listed this week. In Psalms he is the creator. In Joel he is the hope for a broken people. In Luke he is peace for those crying out in their humanity and failures. In 2 Timothy, he is the rescuer from evil. This is not an understanding that God will bless us if we follow him but rather a promise that he will carry us through and sustain us through those moments when we are up against our own limitations. God’s glory is seen most in our moments of brokenness and emptiness.

We practice…

Sometimes, in those moments where we are experiencing burnout for any reason, it is so easy to get lost in the moment that we fail to see God working. Even when we are not aware, God is actively working in our lives and our situations to sustain and deepen our relationship and reliance on him. This week as you are confronted with those moments of emptiness and profound loneliness, take a glance back at similar moments in the past and remember how God has brought you through. Perhaps taking a journal and recording those moments to help you remember what God has brought you through will sustain you through your present circumstance.