Joel 2:13 - "Don't tear your clothing in grief, but tear your hearts instead." Return to the Lord your God, for He is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish.
To show your grief, the custom in ancient times was to tear your clothes. But that was just an outward expression of your grief. God wants us to tear our hearts when we are grieved.
What, why?! That sounds painful! Well everything that is true about us, good or bad, comes from our heart. Our heart reveals our true nature. Jesus talked about this when he was talking about inner purity and He said that the words we speak come from the heart, and that is what defiles us (Matthew 15:18).
In this passage from Joel, the people were grieved because they believed that God had abandoned them. They tore their clothing in grief, and believed that if they showed God that they were grieved, He would return to them. But God had never left them. He knew their hearts, and that's what needed to be changed, not their Armani Tunic's (they had Armani back then, right?).
It's easy for us to walk around and look sad or depressed because we believe that God isn't listening to us. It gets us attention from people, and they tend to share in our misery and try to lift us up, or further encourage us to walk away from God (depending on their beliefs). If we really want to hear from God, to commune with Him, and have an intimate relationship with Him, we have to turn (see: tear) our hearts to Him. We have to tear them in grief and let Him inside so He can transform us from the inside out. As Paul said, that is the way to truly worship Him (Romans 12:1-2).
Am I tearing my heart to let God in every day?
Dear Abba Father, thank You for showing me the path to You through Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for Your Word that gives me the instructions I need to live a life dedicated to You and Your Heavenly Kingdom. Please give me the strength and courage to keep my heart focused on You every day, and to keep my heart open to You so that You can come inside and change me more every day. I pray for those that haven't opened up to You. My prayer is that they will stop going through the motions of acknowledging You so that others can see, and open their hearts to You so that You can come in and change them for the better. In Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
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