Passage
And it shall come to pass after this, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy: your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
Joel 2:28 (DRB)
Nearby Context
Joel 2:26 And you shall eat in plenty, and shall be filled and you shall praise the name of the Lord your God; who hath done wonders with you, and my people shall not be confounded for ever.
Joel 2:27 And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: and I am the Lord your God, and there is none besides: and my people shall not be confounded forever.
Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass after this, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy: your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
Joel 2:29 Moreover, upon my servants and handmaids in those days I will pour forth my spirit.
Joel 2:30 And I will shew wonders in heaven; and in earth, blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "Spirit", "shall", "come", "pass", "after", "pour", "upon", and "flesh". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 27's "And you shall know that I am..." into verse 29's "Moreover upon my servants and handmaids in...", so "Spirit" and "shall" belong inside that flow. In Joel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "Spirit" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.