“Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. There the day of the LORD will soon arrive.” (Joel 3:14, NLT)
The prophet Joel not only spoke of ancient times, but he also had visions of days to come. One of his visions is rather famous, of the end times when warring armies will find peace by “beating their swords into plowshares” (Joel 3:10). In our scripture chosen for today from Joel 3:14, Joel again tells of future days. In this verse, Joel speaks of the “day of the Lord” that will soon arrive. It will be a day where God will destroy evil, fighting on behalf of justice and righteousness. The Lord God will protect the holy ones and uproot and destroy the sinful. Until that “day of the Lord”, Joel explains that “thousands upon thousands” will be “waiting in the valley of decision”.
Taken in context, Joel explained in his prophecies that before God leashes destruction upon evil, God will put a decision before all the people. They will have to decide whether to be on God’s side or the side of evil. They will have to make a conscious decision to repent and follow God obediently or stand against God with the forces of evil and lies. There will be no middle ground. You will either stand with God or against God. And that is why before the “day of the Lord”, thousands will be forced to wait in a “valley of decision”. A decision will be required. Sides must be taken. Which side will you be on?
I have seen many people face their own personal valley of decision. It came at a time when each one had to make a choice. One road led to lies and destruction. One road led to the truth and justice and righteousness. Evil will often try to cloud the boundaries between good and evil, righteousness and unrighteousness, lies and the truth. The evil ones always hope your mind is so clouded by selfishness or irreverence or lies that you will choose the wrong side in that crucial valley of decision. You see, when you are in that valley of decision and make your choices, sometimes there is no going back. The “day of the Lord” will occur, and your choices you make will determine your destiny.
Pastor R. A. Torrey knew of a young woman who felt a deep conviction of sin. She knew that her past choices went against God. She felt a yearning to make things right with God. The young woman’s mother called their pastor. He came and spoke to the young woman. He urged her to pray with him, accept Christ, and make things right. He urged her to stop carousing with her friends and throwing herself into drinking and partying. Finally, he put the ultimatum before her, “Will you accept Christ?” She promised to come back to church but had been invited to a dance that very night where she desperately hoped to meet one special young man who she had fallen for deeply. She promised to accept Christ and pray with her pastor at the altar just a few weeks later.
The night of the dance came, and she went. She caught a cold virus at the dance and it turned into pneumonia. She promised her mother that she would attend worship when she felt better. She never did. She died before ever having the chance to make amends and recommit her life to Christ. When in the valley of decision, she chose a dance over eternal life.
Each of us has those important moments in life. Sometimes, those moments are hazy; their meaning unclear. Sometimes, the importance of those moments is painfully obvious.
The prophet Joel presented to all future generations that the “day of the Lord” was coming. 1 Thessalonians 5:2 explains that the “day of the Lord”, the day when God acts directly upon a life, will often come “like a thief in the night”. You may not recognize or be ready for that valley of decision. You may think you have more than enough time before God acts. You may. You may not.
Through prayer and a critical connection with the Holy Spirit, you may be able to determine when you find yourself in a valley of decision. You might just be able to determine an upcoming “day of the Lord”. If you are able to recognize God’s impending action, I pray you make the right choices in that crucial time. So many have failed to recognize the day of the Lord and made poor choices in the moment of decision.
Just as God let Joel know of the valley of decision and the day of the Lord in his day and time, those who are close to God are often given a glimpse into an upcoming holy event. My hope is that when your valley of decision comes, you are close enough with God to see what is coming and take the right steps to meet the Lord!
Taken in context, Joel explained in his prophecies that before God leashes destruction upon evil, God will put a decision before all the people. They will have to decide whether to be on God’s side or the side of evil. They will have to make a conscious decision to repent and follow God obediently or stand against God with the forces of evil and lies. There will be no middle ground. You will either stand with God or against God. And that is why before the “day of the Lord”, thousands will be forced to wait in a “valley of decision”. A decision will be required. Sides must be taken. Which side will you be on?
I have seen many people face their own personal valley of decision. It came at a time when each one had to make a choice. One road led to lies and destruction. One road led to the truth and justice and righteousness. Evil will often try to cloud the boundaries between good and evil, righteousness and unrighteousness, lies and the truth. The evil ones always hope your mind is so clouded by selfishness or irreverence or lies that you will choose the wrong side in that crucial valley of decision. You see, when you are in that valley of decision and make your choices, sometimes there is no going back. The “day of the Lord” will occur, and your choices you make will determine your destiny.
Pastor R. A. Torrey knew of a young woman who felt a deep conviction of sin. She knew that her past choices went against God. She felt a yearning to make things right with God. The young woman’s mother called their pastor. He came and spoke to the young woman. He urged her to pray with him, accept Christ, and make things right. He urged her to stop carousing with her friends and throwing herself into drinking and partying. Finally, he put the ultimatum before her, “Will you accept Christ?” She promised to come back to church but had been invited to a dance that very night where she desperately hoped to meet one special young man who she had fallen for deeply. She promised to accept Christ and pray with her pastor at the altar just a few weeks later.
The night of the dance came, and she went. She caught a cold virus at the dance and it turned into pneumonia. She promised her mother that she would attend worship when she felt better. She never did. She died before ever having the chance to make amends and recommit her life to Christ. When in the valley of decision, she chose a dance over eternal life.
Each of us has those important moments in life. Sometimes, those moments are hazy; their meaning unclear. Sometimes, the importance of those moments is painfully obvious.
The prophet Joel presented to all future generations that the “day of the Lord” was coming. 1 Thessalonians 5:2 explains that the “day of the Lord”, the day when God acts directly upon a life, will often come “like a thief in the night”. You may not recognize or be ready for that valley of decision. You may think you have more than enough time before God acts. You may. You may not.
Through prayer and a critical connection with the Holy Spirit, you may be able to determine when you find yourself in a valley of decision. You might just be able to determine an upcoming “day of the Lord”. If you are able to recognize God’s impending action, I pray you make the right choices in that crucial time. So many have failed to recognize the day of the Lord and made poor choices in the moment of decision.
Just as God let Joel know of the valley of decision and the day of the Lord in his day and time, those who are close to God are often given a glimpse into an upcoming holy event. My hope is that when your valley of decision comes, you are close enough with God to see what is coming and take the right steps to meet the Lord!