Rend your heart

Joel 2:11-14 NKJV

The LORD gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it? [12] "Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." [13] So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. [14] Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him- A grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God?

An outward sign of repentance isn't what God wants.

No He wants a tearing up of our inner wicked willfulness against Him and His Word.

We see how the Hebrew way was to tear their clothes in sorrow and mourning over someone or something.

It was an outward sign of an inner repentance.

Yet the Lord sees through hypocrisy - looking good on the outside but being full of putrefying, rotten selfishness on the inside.

Look at how Jesus vilified the religious leaders of His day:

Matthew 23:27-28 NKJV

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. [28] Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Jesus sees what no one else can - He sees each one exactly as we are - stripping away all pretence and self deception.

We are all called to rip up our essential self - and start anew - no messing around comparing our self with others. To acknowledge our wretchedness before a Holy God is the first step to redemption.

What was the tax collector's prayer?

"God be merciful to me, a sinner!"

That's what rending a heart means - admitting that all I can do is plead for mercy.

The Lord will truly answer that sincere prayer.

"Mercy there was great and grace was free

Pardon there was multiplied to me

There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary."