Camp Meeting Devotions - Day Fifty-Four

 Joel 2:15-17 (NASB)

¹⁵  Blow a trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,
¹⁶  Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom come out of his room And the bride out of her bridal chamber.
¹⁷  Let the priests, the LORD'S ministers, Weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, "Spare Your people, O LORD, And do not make Your inheritance a reproach, A byword among the nations. Why should they among the peoples say, 'Where is their God?'"

Sin is offensive to God. He takes it very seriously. Much more seriously than His people do. Sin cost the Father the blood of His Son spilt as a propitiation for our sin. Sin is not to be taken lightly. Yet His people glibly dabble in vile behaviors and attitudes that repulse God immensely. 

This is true of individuals. It is also true for corporate bodies of people like churches and even nations. When is the last time you heard anyone gather people together for a Solemn Assembly? How many even know what a Solemn Assembly is? It is a public gathering for repentance. A time of dedication and purification before the Lord. 

Notice all the people who are to assemble. Assemble the elders, children, infants, bridegroom and the bride as well. What if students and adults gathered to repent of sin? What sins might be confessed? A longer list than we care to go into here. This rarely happens. The people of God gather to worship defiled, dirty, and diseased with the sickness of sin. People pack the pews to sing, listen, but seldom to repent. 

The priests and ministers should lead the way in weeping. They should mourn and lament their own spiritual condition as well as that of the congregations they lead as well as the nations where they reside. Preachers are dry eyed. Hearts soiled with the sins of self-promotion, greed, love of men's applause, and hypocrisy just to name a few. Where is brokenness over sin? Where is the lamenting in the house of God among the men of God?

I sinned on Thursday. I quickly repented. I confessed it and tried to move on. I could tell my fellowship with God was not the same. I lay on my face in the prayer room on Friday in teary eyed repentance and confession. I pleaded with God to not let my sin hinder His work in me or the church. I buried my nose in the carpet getting as low as I possibly could humbled in the presence of Holy God. My first words were, "O God, I am a sinner." The mourning continued from there. No excuses. No justification. Admission of guilt followed by weepy remorse and repentance. 

I long for God to do the same thing in the congregation. To break hearts. To let mourning surface over our sin. To bend the knees and the heart in His presence in confession. For an entire church to do that. For the county and country to do the same. Our sin hinders God from moving. Our guilt quenches and grieves the Spirit of God from doing His full cleansing work in our midst. How long before the people of God gather to mourn and repent getting clean before Him? I pray not much longer. 

• What recent sins have you committed? Do you have any habitual sins you return to over and over again?
• How do you feel about your sin really? How does God feel about it?
• When is the last time you genuinely repented? 
• Does your church need a Solemn Assembly? Does the nation?
• Mark down Wednesday May 25th at 6:30 p.m. when Spring Creek will gather for a Solemn Assembly.