Scripture Text: Joel 1:8-12
Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth.
Joel 1:8
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the British painter and poet, was so desolate when his wife committed suicide after only two years of marriage that he vowed to bury the poems he had written for her. He placed the book in the coffin, wrapped in the tresses of her long hair. But after a few years Rossetti regretted his decision. He believed that the poems were some of the best he had ever written. It seemed senseless to leave them buried. After a lengthy court battle Rossetti won the legal right to open the grave and recover the book.
Rossetti’s change of heart is similar to the way some people approach repentance. They may resolve to make changes or take action. But when the initial discomfort of their guilt dies down, they may have second thoughts and regret their decision. Others would prefer to avoid the discomfort of repentance altogether. They prefer a painless faith without the anguish of repentance.
God, however, values repentance. One reason He allowed the people of Joel’s day to experience the devastation of the locust plagues was to bring them to a point of genuine grief over their sins (Joel 1:8). The resulting cessation of grain and drink offerings served as a painful reminder of the way their sins had hindered their fellowship with God. These were hard measures designed to shatter their complacency.
God intended for His people to feel remorse for their sin. The Hebrew term that is translated “despair” in Joel 1:11 might also be translated “be ashamed.” But this was not His only purpose. He did not merely hope that these experiences would make people feel badly about their sins. He also wanted them to “wail” or lament (Joel 1:11).
True repentance expresses sorrow for sin.
Reflect
1. Can you think of a time when you felt sorrow for sin?
2. How did you respond to the sense of guilt and shame that you experienced?
Remember
Not all sorrows for sin is true repentance. Genuine repentance may be painful, but it will enable you to see your need for the forgiveness that only Christ can offer. It is not too late to express your repentance for sin and to ask for God’s help in making the necessary changes in your life.
Read
Numbers 29:39; Psalm 51; 2 Corinthians 7:10; James 4:8-9; 1 John 1:9
Pray
Heavenly Father, help me to see the wrong I have done to You. Lead me to true repentance to You. Help me see the pain that I’ve caused Your heart because of my sins. Enable me to see that I need Your forgiveness. I thank You for in Christ Jesus, I can find Your forgiveness. In Your grace and mercy, restore to me always the joy of my salvation and Your presence. This I pray in Your Son’s name and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
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