CRYING OUT
Joel 2:12-13 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, with mouring: 13. And rend your heart and heart and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
In verse 12 God saying to turn our hearts to him. He says with fasting and weeping and with mournig. The prophet Joel was writing of repentance of Judah and God's judgement. God was wanting Judah to turn back to him with all their heart. He says "rend your heart and not your garments." The word rend means to tear apart or split with violence ( Webster's). We read in II Samuel 3:31 Where David tells the poeple to " Rend your clothes and gird youself with sackcloth" to mourn Abner. Rendering ones garments was a sign of mouring and sorrow.
God is telling us in Joel 2 verse 13 he doesn't want a sign of our sorrow. He wants us truely sorry in our hearts. He wants the sin we have done to tear at our hearts until we are willing to weep and mourn before him. Let's don't forget fasting. Isaiah 58:6 Is not this fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Fasting is us humbling ourselves to God. We have became a prideful people. There was a time the church would spend hours before God calling out not just for themselves but others. Now you do good to get them on their knees for fifteen minutes in a church service. God is a gracious and merciful God; but he wants us to truely repent not to just speak with our mouths but with our hearts . He wants our hearts to show sorrow for our sins and for the sins of our nation and this sinful generation.
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