“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?" Job 12:7-9
On Saturday morning, August 13, 2022 at the family farm I walked up to the cabin for what I expected to be quiet time. The day before had been very peaceful but nature had a different agenda this morning. Not long after I sat down on the porch some cattle across the valley started lowing loudly for several minutes. They sounded like they were in distress and I assumed that the farmer may have been moving them. While I listened, I noted that the noise they made sounded like an alarm. A few minutes later a bird in a maple tree next to me began making a noise that sounded exactly like a security alarm. Even while I was writing this, Rex the Great Pyrenees guard dog started a warning bark to a group of deer in a nearby pasture.
All of these "alarm" noises reminded me of the phrase “sound the alarm” from Joel 2:1:
“Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near…”
Mind you I'm literally sitting on Peter's Mountain while this is happening. Think of Jesus telling Peter about the Rock that He is building his church on. It's the revelation that hell cannot overcome what God is doing. Joel 2 begins by detailing how God's army is destroying the works of the enemy.
I began reading through the entire chapter when Joel 2:21-22 struck me profoundly. Notice the relevance of Joel 2:22 to the exact thing I was experiencing in the year 2022:
21“Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! 22 Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield. (emphasis mine)
Since I was looking across the green pastures and sitting beside an apple tree this verse could not be any more relevant in the moment:
After reading it once I went back and reread it out loud and when I said “the tree bears it’s fruit” I turned and pointed at the apple tree a few feet away and saw a doe eating apples:
Fear not beasts of the field! The day before the same doe came to eat apples while I prayed. This morning she was even closer. Yesterday, Holy Spirit reminded me the deer only had to show up and eat the apples the Father was providing. He even designed them to fall off for easier access for His creation. No need to worry God is taking care of us.
Joel 2:22 is reminding us during a time of "darkness and gloom" there is provision even for the beasts. Jesus in Matthew 6 reminds of this truth, as well:
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
Romans 8:22 (By the way it is 8/2022) says, "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." Creation groaned an alarm in the natural on August 13, 2022. I will also bring to your attention that 13 often will represent rebellion in the Bible. God is announcing and sounding an alarm that He is dealing with the rebellion in the land and the principalities of the air. The cows lowing represents the land and the bird's call represents the power of the air.
I believe we are entering a tumultuous time of war especially for the enemies of the Lord as described in Joel 2:1-11. Verses 12-17 implore us to return to the Lord with fasting, weeping and mourning. Now is the time to assess our relationship with the Lord and insure our hearts are in right standing with Him. The remainder of the chapter details how God will provide abundantly. Joel proceeds to describe many good things that will be taking place. Verse 23 says to be glad O children of Zion and rejoice in the Lord your God. The chapter speaks of restoration, plenty, satisfaction and God’s Spirit being poured out. In God’s time cycles, we are entering into a Joel 2 season on the Earth. The trumpet is about to blow so sound the alarm!