God’s punishment might feel harsh. Brutal, even. But it’s not the end of the story.

As we reflected in our devotional on Joel 1, God punished the people for their sins; yet He called them to see their guilt, grieve their wrongdoing, and turn back to Him.

Why? Because punishment isn’t the point.

Because God loves even the messiest of sinners.

In Joel 2, this divine love continues to unfold.

It begins with a warning: there will come a terrifying day of celestial chaos and enemies wielding intense destructive power, here to utterly wipe out everything in their way (Joel 2:2-3).

Then comes a plot twist.

God does not cut the sinners loose.

Instead, He offers them a way to change this destiny: Turn to Me with all your heart.

It’s a fantastic deal for anyone who takes this up and sincerely comes before God. Not only does punishment disappear, but God will restore the repentant sinner’s labour, joy, and even years spent under God’s punishment (Joel 2:19-25).

More importantly, this. God opens His arms wide, promising all of humanity a restored relationship with Him when they return: I will pour My Spirit on all flesh. I will save all who call upon Me (Joel 2:28-29, 32).

In other words: I want to be close to you. I want to save you from the sin you cannot save yourself from.

Every single one of you.

The moral of the story? This is a love so massive we can hardly imagine all of it.

God waits. When the sinner awakes from spiritual slumber, when the weight of his mistakes hits him squarely in the gut, when he returns to God, that’s when he shall see God’s great kindness (Joel 2:13).

God will reach into the deepest abyss of shame. He will pull even the worst sinner into a hug. That destiny of dreadful judgment becomes a glorious welcome into God’s kingdom. The sinner’s heart becomes God’s home (John 14:23).

What does God ask for? That our acts of repentance are genuine and from the heart.

It’s easy to fool others into believing that we have changed. Deceit is easy. Theatrics are moving. We might even fool ourselves!

But God cannot be fooled. There is no fake it till we make it. It’s our hearts that must tear. Our hearts that must break from how deeply sorry we are (Joel 2:13).

That’s the turning point in the sinner’s story.