Joel 2:12-13 — Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your hearts, with fasting, with weeping and with sorrow; tear your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, very patient, full of faithful love, and ready to forgive. (Common English Bible)
Reading the prophets can be a hard slog. The prophets rant about everyone going in the wrong direction and they make God sound so angry and vengeful. God, they say, will bring divine judgement, wrath, and punishment upon his people and their enemies alike. Many of us have trouble reconciling this merciless God with the God of love and forgiveness so we avoid the prophets.
Like the other prophets, Joel presents how we have strayed way off the path. Like a parent who is at her wits end, God has given us rules and expectations, blessings and promises, but our response is to act like reckless teenagers leaving a wake of destruction and breaking God’s heart. Joel invites us to repent, not with a big show, tearing our clothes and beating our chests, but with a torn heart.
Why a torn heart? Because when God mends a broken heart, it is stronger and more resilient. A mended heart can forgive because it has been forgiven. A mended heart can be patient because God was patient and full of faithful love toward us.
So here is God’s invitation: Even now, return to me. Even now, it’s not too late. Even now, God is merciful and full of love. Even now, God is ready to forgive. So come with your whole heart, broken by all you have done, because God can mend a broken and repentant heart.
Soulcycles 