Rending the heart - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2025

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.
Joel 2:13

Rending the heart
The tearing of clothes was a custom in ancient times. It stood for extreme distress in anger or grief. As long as the heart was sincere, God recognised it.

But as with all outward actions, there was also the danger of being hypocritical or letting oneself go unrestrained. That is why, for example, it was forbidden for the high priest in Israel to tear his clothes. The closeness to God in which he lived didn’t permit such an outburst of human emotion.

Thus, it is not difficult to understand what the expression “rend your heart” means. This isn’t a formal action. Rather, it is about a repentance that must begin deep within us: in the heart.

How can this be done in practice? I examine my life so far and realise that it is leading me further and further away from God, toward being eternally lost. Then I confess my failure, my guilt, to God and sincerely ask Him for forgiveness.

Such a thing cannot be done without inner distress – it must have an impact deep within the soul – and this is exactly what the prophet Joel means. But after that, the way is clear for the second step: “Return to the Lord your God”. The two go together: sincere confession of sin and genuine repentance. This is “repentance” as the Bible teaches it.

Repentance, then, doesn’t mean performing external acts of penance but rather a change of course. Indeed, repentance and faith belong together. God gives salvation by grace to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ.

Today’s reading: Genesis 22:13-24 · Psalms 5:7-12