Rend your heart...

“'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 in anger, abounding in lovingkindness, and relenting of evil.” Joel 2:12-13

We studied the book of Joel today in class (thank you, Chad!). We learned much about Joel’s writings, his audience and their spiritual state, and what events God had (or still has) in store for them… Joel challenges his audience to return to the Lord and to do so in a very specific fashion…with a heart of complete devotion and obedience.

A few weeks ago, the verses I listed above jumped off the page for me. They have still to let me go. Isn’t that just like God? I love when He grabs my heart with something very specific and reinforces it all over the place!

I (Andrea) wanted to take a few words and share with you should you permit me a few minutes of your time…

There are so many verses in the Bible that call us to loving Him with our whole hearts, and He seems to be weaving so many of them directly into my tapestry of study! This one was yet another... I know what I am supposed to be learning. I know what He is telling me. This verse says everything – “Return to me with all your heart.” Loving Him with my heart I can do and am doing. But His specific challenge to me in this verse came with a word, three letters so powerful in meaning... ALL. ALL. ALL. That leaves room for nothing else. No one. Not even myself.

Just a few words later, Joel writes, "Rend your heart and not your garments." Piercing, isn't it? It is all about the heart and not at all about the outside like we so often fool ourselves into thinking... I am a very private person and struggle expressing feelings even to those closest to me. It scares me to think about my heart laid bare for Him to see when I don't like to see it myself. But that is the point! It is. He wants me to rend my heart open, beating willingly, needing desperately, and pounding vulnerably because until I do, I simply can't give Him ALL…For me, it doesn't take long of looking inward to realize how desperately I am in need of Him.

I am thankful today for a God who is gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil… He promises I will be satisfied in full and praise Him if I bring to Him a broken and a contrite heart… What a beautiful promise... My heart emptied before Him only to be filled full again with a thirst-quenching, never-ending, always flowing, living water!

Total obedience? Complete commitment? ALL of my heart? Anything less is really nothing at all.
“You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you.” Joel 3:26