Topic: Looking Forward – Charles Stanley Daily Devotional  16 January  2024

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Looking Forward

Because God promises a glorious future, Christians can find the strength to wait—even when it’s difficult.

January 16, 2024

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Joel 1:1-20; Joel 2:1-32; Joel 3:1-21

More often than not, waiting involves a lot of stress—especially when we don’t know how long it will be until the holding pattern ends. During the wait, we sometimes turn away from God and yearn for a time when things felt easier. But what if we turned towards God and looked forward instead?

The prophet Joel spoke to God’s people during a challenging time when their land had been invaded by locusts. Livelihoods were destroyed by drought and pestilence, and people were starving. Those were days full of destruction, darkness, and utter gloom.

Yet God did not point them back to the good old days. Instead, He pointed them to the future, to Himself. He called them to return to Him and reminded them that a day of vindication and redemption would ultimately come. And while it’s true that “ultimately” could be generations away, there is comfort in knowing His promise of restoration is certain. On that day there will be tremendous rejoicing—vats will overflow and “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (2:32).

By turning our eyes forward towards that certain-yet-far-off day, we too may find the strength to keep waiting.

Bible in One Year: Exodus 1-3

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