In 1981, one of the strongest storms recorded in history neared east coast.  It was called the perfect storm because in actuality, it was three separate storms combining to form one giant storm.  The storm was so violent, boats in the Atlantic Ocean encountered waves as high as a ten story building.  That's nearly one hundred feet high!  The waves never reached land, but a one hundred foot wave has the power to snap a ship in half.  If such a wave hit New York City, it would reach the shoulders of the Statue of Liberty.  I came across this picture of some guy from Hawaii who tries to ride such waves.  Whenever storms approach, he has someone tow him several miles out to sea to catch the biggest wave he can find.  He holds the world record for riding a ninety foot wave.  Or so says the internet. 

One storm is plenty enough to get the attention of most of us.  I remember driving back from St. Louis one day.  The sun was shining and there was a light breeze.  As I drove over Lake Springfield I said to myself, "Self, we're going fishing tonight!"  So I called up Denny Tackett and we were out on the lake in no time.  But within a minute of putting my boat on water, the wind whipped up, the clouds rumbled, and lightning bolts began shooting across the sky.  And boy did it rain!  Buckets of rain!  There is nothing more disconcerting than lightning flashes when you’re out on the lake.  We were soaked.  Denny never did thank me for taking him out that night.  Oh well.

The perfect storm.

One storm is more than enough to put the fear of the Lord in you.  But what about several storms culminating into a perfect storm of sorts?  Centuries ago, before Christ was born, a series of storms threatened the very existence of Israel.  In your outline, I refer to them collectively as the perfect storm because there were actually three storms, with each successive storm growing in intensity.  After each storm people would say, "How could it get any worse?"  But then it would get worse. 

In the midst of these storms, the prophet Joel spoke on behalf of God.  As people were picking up the pieces of their lives, he would warn them about future storms.  Joel interpreted the signs of his time and answered difficult questions like, "Why the devastation?  Why are more storms on the horizon?  What is their significance?  What lessons should be learned?  How should we prepare?  How can we survive?"

Gus Gordon, the meteorologist for News Channel 20, is a pretty amazing guy.  Not only does he forecast the weather, but he sings, dances, and acts at the Muni!   He’s great!  But as amazing as Gus Gordon is, he cannot truly forecast the future.  He tries.  But only God knows the true forecast.  As God’s messenger, the prophet Joel forecast the storms that were about to befall the people of Israel.  But it was up to the people of Israel to hear the forecast, trust God’s messenger, and change their ways.

The first storm- a swarm of locusts.

The book of Joel begins in the devastating aftermath of the first storm.   In the first storm, we sense the fury of nature as a swarm of billions of locusts devastate the land.  To give a frame of reference, in 1954 a swarm of locusts invaded Kenya, covering an area of two hundred square kilometers.  The estimated density was fifty million locusts per square kilometer, or ten billion locusts in that swarm.   They destroyed everything in their path that was edible. 

Joel addresses the elders.

Like an annoying news reporter, Joel sifts through the aftermath of the storm.  In Joel 1 he first addresses the elders, who have never seen anything like this.  Joel 1:2-4 (NIV) reads, "Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land.  Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your forefathers?  Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation.   What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten."

Joel addresses the drunkards.

Joel then confronts the drunkards, who no longer have any wine to enjoy in Joel 1:5-8 (NIV).  "Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!  Wail, all you drinkers of wine; wail because of the new wine, for it has been snatched from your lips.  A nation has invaded my land, powerful and without number; it has the teeth of a lion, the fangs of a lioness.  It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees.  It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white.  Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth grieving for the husband of her youth." 

Joel confronts the priests.

Joel next confronts the priests, who can no longer offer grain sacrifices to the living God in Joel 1:9-10 (NIV).  "Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the LORD.  The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the LORD.  The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up; the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the oil fails."

Joel confronts the farmers.

Last, Joel confronts the farmers who now have nothing in Joel 1:11-12 (NIV).  "Despair, you farmers, wail, you vine growers; grieve for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field is destroyed.  The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree— all the trees of the field—are dried up.  Surely the joy of mankind is withered away."

The storm of locusts creates a frame of reference for the people of Israel.  It gave them a frame of reference for what total destruction looks like.  In our day we have different frames of reference.  There were the tornados that struck Springfield earlier this year.  The hurricane that destroyed the city of New Orleans.  I still cannot believe that happened!  Then there was the freak tsunami wave that destroyed hundreds of coastal communities and left hundreds of thousands dead.

The second storm- the Assyrian army.

But the fury of nature’s storms is one thing.  In Joel 2:1-10 Joel warns about the fury of man.  Man's fury was the notorious Assyrian army.  The Assyrian army would be like the storm of locusts, but incredibly more destructive.  Consider Joel’s rich description of the Assyrian army in Joel 2:1-10 (NIV).   "Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill.  Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming.  It is close at hand— a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness.  Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come.  Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes.  Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste— nothing escapes them.  They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry.  With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle.  At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale.  They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers.  They all march in line, not swerving from their course.  They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead.  They plunge through defenses without breaking ranks.  They rush upon the city; they run along the wall.  They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows.  Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine."

Oddly, Joel pictures the Lord as being at the head, or in control, of this mighty army.  Joel 2:11 (NIV) says, "The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command.  The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful.  Who can endure it?"  Upon seeing advance of the Assyrian army, the Israelites would have been begging to see the storm of locusts instead.  The Assyrians were brutal and merciless.  They slayed women and children, even pregnant women.  They were the superpower of their day, using horses, chariots, full body armor, swords, and fire.  They possessed dreadful speed, coordination, and precision.  But as terrifying as the locusts and Assyrian army may have been, neither compared to the ultimate storm that was waiting on the horizon.  The day of the Lord!

The ultimate storm- the day of the Lord.

In Joel 3:9-16 we find an apt description of the day of the Lord.  The day of the Lord would be of judgment for all nations, even the nation of Israel.  The only way to survive was to have God himself as one’s refuge and stronghold.  Joel 3:9-16 (NIV) says, "Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war!  Rouse the warriors!  Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.  Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears.  Let the weakling say, 'I am strong!'  Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there.  Bring down your warriors, O LORD!   Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side.  Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.  Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow— so great is their wickedness!"

"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!  For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.  The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine.  The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble.  But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel."

So let me just ask, why the three storms?  Why the pain and suffering?  Why the escalation from nature’s fury, to the Assyrian army’s fury, to the day of Lord?  Life would be quite a trip if we never learned to see God in the midst of the storms.  After each storm, Joel emphasized two important truths about God.  These two truths are an encouragement to us no matter how great the storms of life.

First, storms teach us to rely upon God.

After the locusts invaded, Joel commanded the priests to put on sackcloth and mourn.  Along with the elders, they were to assemble the people, declare a holy fast, and begin crying out to the Lord for deliverance.  Joel 1:13-17 (NIV)  "Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar.  Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.  Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly.  Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.  Alas for that day!  For the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.  Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes— joy and gladness from the house of our God?  The seeds are shriveled beneath the clods.  The storehouses are in ruins, the granaries have been broken down, for the grain has dried up."

With a touch of sarcasm, Joel describes how the cattle have already begun moaning.  Even the herds are fasting for lack of food, and the wild animals are panting for God!  If animals could acknowledge their need for God, why couldn’t the people?  Joel 1:18-20 (NIV) says, "How the cattle moan!  The herds mill about because they have no pasture; even the flocks of sheep are suffering.  To you, O LORD, I call, for fire has devoured the open pastures and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.  Even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the open pastures."

Unmoved by the storm of locusts, Joel forecast the destructive power of Assyrian army.  If the swarming locusts didn’t get their attention and cause them to cry out to God for deliverance, perhaps the Assyrian army would.  It’s at this point that Joel emphasizes a second truth; that God desires good for his people.

Second, God desires good for his people.

Through the storms, God was providing every opportunity imaginable for Israelites to repent.  But God didn’t want a superficial response.  He wanted their hearts to be truly broken over their sin.  In Joel 2:12-14 (NIV) the prophet Joel says,  " 'Even now,' declares the Lord, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.  Rend your heart and not your garments.'  Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from calamity.  Who knows?  He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing— grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God."

Should they repent and acknowledge God, the Lord promises to bless them.  After all, Joel 2:18 reminds us that our God is a jealous God who desires to show us pity.  In Joel 2:19 God promises to send grain, new wine and oil, to satisfy the land, and to never again make them an object of scorn to the nations.  In Joel 2:20 God promises to drive the Assyrian army away and have it destroyed.  In Joel 2:21-22 God promises to restore the pastures, fields, trees and streams.  In Joel 2:24-25 God promises to fill the threshing floors with grain, wine, and oil and to reverse the destruction caused by the locusts. 

Joel 2:18-25 (NIV) says, "Then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people.  The LORD will reply to them: 'I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations.  I will drive the northern army far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land, with its front columns going into the eastern sea and those in the rear into the western sea.  And its stench will go up; its smell will rise.'  Surely he has done great things.  Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice.  Surely the LORD has done great things.  Be not afraid, O wild animals, for the open pastures are becoming green.  The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.  Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness.  He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.  The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.  'I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm— my great army that I sent among you.' "

Storms become an opportunity to rely on God.

The storms were a token of God’s mercy, a sign pointing people back to a gracious God.  Too often, in our satisfaction we slip into the same pattern as the Israelites.  The priests would tear their garments over sin, but not let their hearts be torn over sin.  The elders would look everywhere for deliverance, but never turn to God.  The drunkards loved drinking wine, but in their drunkenness they forgot God.  The farmers loved the abundance of their fields, but in their abundance they also forgot God. 

So what we learn is that God would rather stir up a storm and move us to repentance, than to leave us complacent and proud.  Storms become an opportunity for us to rend our hearts, rely upon God, be assured of God's goodness, and wait for his promises. 

One Sunday afternoon an older couple came to our church to pray.  They were desperate, and had come here as a last resort, seeking quiet solitude before God.  But when this couple opened the doors they were greeted with a deafening alarm and sirens.  Someone had set the alarm but had left the front doors unlocked.  When I arrived, I found the wife sobbing, even trembling.  A week earlier, doctors had removed an enormous tumor that had wrapped itself around her spine.  And the next day she was getting a report from the doctor on whether the tumor was malignant or benign.  But that was just the tip of the iceberg. 

She thought the tumor was God’s judgment on her for all the years she’d not gone to church.  She thought that she was being punished for having forgotten God.  She described a time when her son faced a life-threatening illness.  As doctors prepared her for the worst, she cried out to God.  She vowed that if God made her son well she would return to God, go to church, study his word, worship him, and serve him forever.  Miraculously, to even the doctors’ surprise, God intervened and her son was healed.  But she never went back to church or did any of the things she promised.  And now, decades later, as a grandmother, she was pleading for own life.

I shared a bunch of scriptures with them about God’s love and faithfulness.  Using the story of Hosea, I illustrated how God desires good for us, even when we are unfaithful.  I explained how God is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.  But then I told her that God is powerful to deliver us from whatever storms we face in life— even death itself.  I encouraged her to call upon the name of the Lord.  I reminded her that no matter what news she received Monday, she could have the hope of eternal life in Christ Jesus.  As the couple left, I invited them back to talk some more.

Later that week I tried contacting them.  They called me back late in the night.  The tumor was benign.  They had spent the day hugging their children and grandchildren, going to the movies, going out to eat, laughing and crying, celebrating the news.  They have never once come back to our church since that day.  Two storms were not enough to turn their hearts for good.  Will a third storm be enough?  Or will it be too late?

Everyone on earth must prepare for the ultimate storm.

In the book of Joel the day of the Lord is the third and final storm.  The ultimate storm for which every person on earth must prepare.  Only those trusting in God can survive.  After describing the day of the Lord, Joel promises in Joel 2:32 (NIV), "And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors whom the Lord calls."

Romans 10:9-13 (NIV) picks up on this promise, and sees its fulfillment in Christ.  "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' "

I love the On-Star commercials where all sorts of people call out for help from their General Motors vehicles, only to be assured of help from 911.  For those who call upon the name of Jesus Christ, God promises us a much greater deliverance.