Today I was so incredibly blessed as I read through Joel 2 & 3. I am continually humbled how the LORD pursues my heart, He has captured my soul by the blood of the Lamb, and yet He alone continues the pursuit of my heart. Like no other.
This struck my heart so intensely today, "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments." Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness And relenting of evil. Joel 2:12-13
I was reading this, because daily there are issues in our lives that come up and I think as I seek God in those issues the more He shows me Himself and refines my heart. Today as I read the words here, I just kept wondering what does "rend" mean? So I looked it up in the original Hebrew and it means, to tear, to tear into pieces. Why would God want us to rend our hearts rather than our garments? Throughout the OT you see people ripping their clothes and fasting, as a sign of humility before God...and I'm just so struck here that God specifically says, tear up your hearts, not your clothing. He wants us to break up our hearts before Him, because He alone will wash away the bad pieces and purify our hearts. His word says so clearly in Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God You will not despise." Funny how here, broken means "broken into pieces" just as rend means to tear into pieces. God wants our hearts to be broken, not because He wants us to be in pain, but I think rather because God alone wants to show us how He will heal our hearts with His love, His power and with His word. Of course you are probably wondering why God would need to heal our hearts, well very simply put, "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? " Jeremiah 17:0...you see our hearts are deceitful, and we must examine our motives, we must continually self evaluate...we must continually ask God to heal our hearts, and cry out to God asking Him to "Create in me a pure heart..." as David did in Psalm 51:10. I'm really struggling with some things relationally...and I"m seeking God's wisdom and God's purification of my heart before I even attempt to resolve this struggle on my own. I'm continually self evaluating to see if what I am pursuing is right, pure, and just and honoring to God, or if I am simply wanting to "return evil for evil" and not leaving room for God's conviction in others. I love this passage that Joel writes, he calls on us to rend our hearts....and why...with what promise? This...for He IS gracious and compassionate, slow to anger abounding in loving kindness and relenting of evil. So here we have this call to tear up our hearts...the lay them before Jesus...why...because He IS the one FULL of grace, compassion and loving kindness...He relates to us being slow to anger...He wants the pieces of my heart that He can refine them, heal them....and give them back to me....but covered with His grace and love...for the glory of His Name!
I am continually amazed by my God who loves and pursues me, and says that even when I am unfaithful he will remain faithful because He can not deny Himself. I am captivated today by this concept of rending my heart, and as I am studying cross references in the Bible as to where God uses the word "rend" one such reference is Isaiah 57:15, I know I've read it before but in the context of Joel, and the concept of rending my heart before the Lord, it is even more beautiful and powerful..."For thus says the high and exalted One who lives forever and whose name is Holy, I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite." As I mentioned earlier, when our hearts are rendered, broken before the Lord, He comes in His power and grace to revive them. My heart being revived by the Lord is yet another of my favorite topics covered extensively in Psalm 119...
I would encourage you today, take time to pray and ask God to help you rend your heart...and lay it before Him, we all need Jesus to work in our hearts, no matter how long you've known Him, and no matter how long you've called Him savior....we need Jesus daily to refine us, and to mold us...into the image of Christ Jesus.
2 comments:
I really enjoyed reading this. I feel like God is at work in my heart and it's encouraging to know that, one; He cares enough about me to take me before Him and 'fix' me, and two; He is going to do it. I'm not sure I have ever paid much attention to this verse before. Interesting that it says "rend your heart, not your garments." Sometimes I think we are tempted to only rend our garments (in a behavioral sense). After all, we can judge it and see it. We have control over it. The heart isn't something we have much control over. We try too. But like you said...."its desperately wicked...who can know it?" Truth is, we need God to take control over our hearts because we don't know how to handle them. Anyways, this was a blessing to me. Thanks for sharing it:)
Thanks for sharing Liz, I so agree with you, it's much easier to rend our garments, which would be ovious why GOd wants our hearts :-) Only He can do it! I read a bit of your blog and really enjoyed it! We are praying for you guys!
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