Rend Your Hearts!

"Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity."

- Joel 2:13

In Biblical times, the rending of garments was a sign of great mourning and distress in times of intense grief: "At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:20-21) It was also a sign of great anger when someone believes that blasphemy has taken place:“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered. (Matt 26:64-66) In Joel 2:13, the rending was talking about distress and mourning over what had happened to Jerusalem. The people of Judah saw all the devastation around them and the felt grieved. But God was telling them that he didn't just want them to lie in mourning, feeling guilty for their wrongdoing. He wanted them to repent, to turn from these ways and live a new life and then he would take them back: "But if a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life." (Ezek 18:27) I think that this verse is important for us as believers as well. As Christians we know that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," (Rom 8:1) But sometimes when we fall into temptation and sin, we beat ourselves up about how we have "failed" and we wonder if we can even be forgiven at all. God doesn't want us to sit around dwelling in our own self-pity, he is compassionate and he is more than ready to forgive us. All that we have to do is repent and we can be confident that it is over! no condemning, no lingering guilt, just the complete and awesome forgiveness of our God! Don't dwell in guilt! Live in God's amazing forgiveness!