Groundhog Day (Joel)

The 1993 romantic comedy Groundhog Day is about a weatherman who gets caught in a time loop while covering a Groundhog Day event in a small Pennsylvania town. And so, he is doomed to living that day over and over again and is powerless to stop it.

When we read the books of the prophets, we get the same feeling as the weather man in the movie. God’s people are stuck in a repeating cycle of sin they can’t seem to get out of. That’s bad enough, but if we do what the prophets encourage us to do—examine our own lives, we’ll find our story isn’t much different. We all have patterns of behavior and dynamics in certain relationships that are so predictable we could write a script. Even if the things we’re doing are hurting us, we keep doing them. The Bible tells us all human beings do this. An exasperated saint Paul puts it this way: 

I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.  Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?  Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom. 7:21–25)

Joel lived thousands of years before Christ, but God gives him a glimpse of a future that’s meant to encourage us today. In Joel’s day, the people—like drunks in stupor, watch helplessly as disaster falls around them. Joel says, “What’s the matter with you? Get up. Call on the Lord—He can help. That’s chapter 1. 

Chapter 2 says, that the day is coming when God will pour out his Spirit on all who follow Him—men, women, young, and old.  In a sense, that day has come—Jesus’s sacrifice has broken the cycle of sin and given each of us direct access to the Father. We are no longer “stuck” in our spiritual Groundhog Day. But there is more to come. The Lord says if we will turn to Him, He will restore what the enemy has stolen, provide what we need in abundance, and restore our dignity and self-respect. Our personal salvation is part of the renewal He intends to bring to the entire world.

So if you’re discouraged by fighting the same battles, take heart. God’s story always includes us. Read Joel and see the good God desires for you. It’s only 3 short chapters.

The prophets tell us what’s wrong, but they don’t leave us there. They tell us how to make things right. So, if you’re a tough spot today, and happen to meet up with the prophet Joel, you’ll know exactly what he would say: Be honest. Mourn. But don’t sit around wringing your hands. Take all your losses to the Lord and ask for His help.  A better day is not only coming—it is here.