Repentance

Guest Blog by Gary Riedel

S - Scripture:

Joel 2:13 Amp version: Rip your heart to pieces (in sorrow and contrition) and not your garments. Now return (in repentance) to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness (faithful to His covenant with His people); and He relents His sentence of) evil (when His people genuinely repent).

O - Observation: 

When one repented in the Old Testament, ripping one’s garment was often an outward sign. Here the prophet Joel is talking NOT about an outward (for show) type of repentance, but rather a deep inward heart wrenching type of humble sorrow. So sincere and painful that we would try

by the grace of God, not to ever repeat the offense. By God’s Grace, His Spirit will come into our heart and reside there, and evil will be replaced by the fruits of the Spirit Galatians 5:22.

A - Application: 

As we’ve been talking about 2 Chronicles 7:14 and God’s people seeking to humble ourselves and pray as in our special prayer times, this is not a going through the motions endeavor, but rather this is a gut-wrenching time of laying it all before a Holy God Who is actually as anxious to forgive us as the father of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. When we repent he removes our sins “as far as the East is from the West” Psalm 103:12.

P - Prayer: Our Father, please hear our heartfelt cry of repentance and in Your Grace and Mercy, and for the sake of Jesus death on the cross, heal our land. In Jesus Name, Amen