Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, “I am strong! Joel 3:10
Friend, you may not look strong but you are! People or circumstances might have told you otherwise but it’s a LIE! There is no one God has created faint or feeble in all aspects, you at least have a handful or jar of something (2 Kings 4:1-7).
There is an area where you are in charge, a specialist, a cut above the rest, immune to attack or failure; have authority, influence and power greater than average or expected – that’s your strength! For some that’s drawing, sewing, singing, dancing, writing, teaching, leading, reading, critiquing, cooking, praying… whatever it is, you’ve got something!
You may not feel adequate to accomplish certain tasks presently due to some limitations but you are about to ditch those limits!
In our text, the people had plows and pruning tools (useful for farming) when what they really needed was swords and spears (useful for fighting). Joel by the word of the Lord encouraged them to increase their strength (opportunity and capacity) by transforming their present realities (plows and spades) into future possibilities (swords and spears). To do this, they needed to beat – put into shape or better condition by pressure which involved some offensive, violent but strategic exertion on the tools.
Are you under pressure? Do you feel perplexed, shaken, beaten or pressed? Hang in there, its part of the process. God is preparing you. The good news is you will come out better and you already have what it takes for your transformation and expansion to occur.When the widow needed to pay some creditors, she had a jar of oil God used. Furthermore, when the wine ran out at the wedding in Galilee, the celebrants had pots of water Jesus used. Similarly, you too have something God can work with to strengthen you the more.
Although Leah had weak eyes, she had a strong womb! Don’t allow your weaknesses to overshadow your strengths; beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong.