Joel 1:14
Consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly.
Gather the elders
and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the LORD your God,
and cry out to the LORD.
The foxhole prayer is the name given to the sudden realization that all the bases are not covered and that there is uncertainty about what comes after death. Once the shelling stops, life returns to normal and the memory of the prayer fades. That is, until the next time. No one knows exactly when Joel wrote his prophecy but it does not matter. When times are good, people ignore God. when they get tough, which Joel warned about in the preceding verses, then they “go to church”. In this case, they went to the temple to fast and pray their foxhole prayer. Once the threat level subsided, they would forget all about it. Eventually, Joel said, the Day of the Lord would come, when God’s promise of curses for disobedience would come.
The advent of the church age did nothing to change this default mode of man. Church attendance spiked during WWII as parents flooded churches to cry out to the Lord on behalf of their children at war, where foxhole prayers would also be heard. After war ceased, the thoughts of God did the same in many minds. 9/11 saw a similar rise and fall. This Sunday, may we gather together, not as a last resort, but a first priority, to worship Jesus Christ, who was born in a manger, died on a cross, rose from a tomb, and sits on a throne.
Dear Lord, you are worthy of worship in easy times and hard. Help us to be consistent in our worship of you this Sunday and everyday. In Jesus’ name. Amen.