Joel 1:8, Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth
for the bridegroom of her youth.
Is. 33:23, Your tackle hangs slack; It cannot hold the base of its mast firmly, Nor spread out the sail. Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided; Is. The lame will take the plunder.
Micah 4:6, “In that day,” declares the LORD, “I will assemble the lame And gather the outcasts, Even those whom I have afflicted.7 “I will make the lame a remnant And the outcasts a strong nation, And the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on and forever.
Zeph. 3:19 “Behold, I am going to deal at that time With all your oppressors, I will save the lame And gather the outcast, And I will turn their shame into praise and renown In all the earth.
In prayer this morning the Lord was speaking really clearly to my heart about the kind of holy army He is raising up in our day. The lamenting virgin wearing sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth, is simply the sad story of a young girl who was engaged and yet, before the Jewish marriage could be completed at the wedding day, the young bridegroom died. Joel is a book about revival and God awakening the heart of His people who long once again, to pursue relentlessly experiencing everything God had promised them. For us, it speaks of wanting to experience and manifest everything that is ours in Christ, and not come up short this time.
As Christians, we have already been made complete in Christ, fully carrying His fullness from the moment of our spiritual rebirth, but sadly many of us have come short of apprehending all that for which we have been apprehended. God is looking for people who are saying “Lord I want to experience it all,” and “I want the whole dream to come true this time.” This is the first thing God is saying about this army he’s raising up in these last days. It’s not necessarily an army of people who have always followed through in their pursuit of him. Their spiritual dreams, for whatever reason, may lay shattered at their feet, but there’s something rising up in them that realizes the dream can still come true and the offer of experiencing and manifesting the fullness of Jesus still stands, no matter where they’ve been, or how long it’s been, or how much time they have left on this earth. You see it is a hungry Army that God will fill and use to fulfill his purposes on this earth, but it does not have to be an army of people who have had a perfect record. As a matter-of-fact, “it is the lame who will take the plunder.” Nuclear grace is the power that will fuel this mighty army, because grace is not afraid or threatened by the lame, or the shame they have carried for so many years that have made them feel disqualified from being useful. This will be an army of weak people who have discovered that in their weaknesses His strength is perfected. Like Peter who failed when he denied Jesus and yet his faith came alive again, their faith will not stay in a failed position, but will once again be restored to Hunger and Strength. Also like Peter, having known failure and the shame it brings, they will be able to strengthen their brothers and bring to life more of the hungry and lame who will take up the battle once again. The Slaughtered will slaughter the enemy in the name of the Slaughtered Lamb.