The Apostle Peter quotes Joel in his sermon on Pentecost, giving us a clue that Joel is not just about the locusts! Instead, Joel speaks of the Day of the LORD, and encourages his people to turn back to God in repentance. Repentance is just as important for God’s people today, although we struggle with it. We don’t like to admit we’re wrong.

Ezekiel is sharing God’s prophecies to the people in exile. They have no hope. God tells them He is going to save because he wants to honor his name. They’ve profaned Him by their actions. He will show the nations around them, that he is a good God. He is willing to save them for His honor. He does the same for us. What do we need to surrender to honor His name?

Obadiah presents an angry diatribe against Israel’s enemies, the Edomites. Even so, this message ends in hope, as the Day of the Lord is coming, when God himself will right all wrongs. While conflict is inevitable, it doesn’t have to be permanent. Jesus calls his people today to love our enemies and to break the cycle of violence. We know that God himself is ultimately the one who can restore.

The five poems of Lamentations serve as a deep examination of tragedy and grief. Through it all, the author cries out to God, trying to make sense of his pain. The human tendency in moments of tragedy is to draw inward and focus on our pain. Lamentations reminds us to be honest about what we’re going through, and to then recenter our attention on God.

God’s people are living in the wreckage of their own rebellion. Their leaders have failed, their city is falling apart, and exile is not just some far-off warning anymore. It is here. It is real. But even there, God does not abandon them. He does not tell them to pretend exile is good. Instead, God tells His people to surrender, stop chasing false security, and seek life and flourish in a place they never wanted to be. God’s judgment is real, but so is His mercy.

The prophet Jeremiah is God’s voice to the kingdom of Judah during and after the reign of Josiah. God uses him to call out the kingdom’s idolatry and failure. Yet, throughout, there is hope. God promises to restore them if they will again live as God intended – wholly Holy!

The prophet Habakkuk lamented the future destruction he saw God bringing at the hands of the wicked Babylonians. How could God be good and allow that? For us today, the world is full of darkness and pain, and we wonder why God allows such things. While we may not have all the answers, Habakkuk shows us that we can choose to be patient, faithful, and joyful. In other words, we can choose faith.

God can build new things out of apparent disaster. Even though he was bringing judgment upon his people in the form of utter defeat, there was a future for those who would hold on. And for God’s people today, even when we face trouble, crisis, or disaster, there is still hope!

The prophet Micah preached to a group of people who wanted to do the bare minimum to appease God, and then move on with their lives. Meanwhile, they were mistreating others and breaking God’s laws. To them Micah preached a message of obedience and humility, over the course of multiple decades. For us today, God’s expectations are not confusing nor hidden. It’s on us to pay attention and then obey.

The prophet Hosea preached to the Northern Kingdom, who worshipped God wrongly. They had combined their worship of God with the worship of ba’al and golden calves. They trusted that ba’al was making them prosperous. God spoke through Hosea to tell them they would no longer be called “my people.” Even in the punishment and frustration God had, he still loves them. God’s love is unending. How do we see His love for his people and allow it to challenge our lives?