Listen:
“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. (Joel 2:12-13)
Reflect:
If you’ve ever been in close relationship with a two-year old, there’s a good chance you’ve done your fair share of restoration work; chasing a wandering adventurer into unknown places, holding steady through streams of tears, or maybe peeling a tiny body off the ground and offering a warm embrace to them in their state of disrepair—whether due to a skinned knee or the emotional volatility caused by your saying “no” to another cupcake.
And, while this kind of repair work isn’t contextually the same as Joel’s prophetic exhortation to the priests for a call to repentance in response or anticipation of plague or a future Day of the Lord— I wonder if the heartfelt cries of a desperate two-year old before a steadfast and present parent might serve as a relevant model for how we might come before the Lord. In pain and longing, there is no need for pretense or show— just a raw and ready heart seeking a great return to the one who covers them.
Yet even now— in our weakness, in our sin and struggling, God remains the most gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and loving parent we could ask for. He doesn’t want our performance or perfection — He wants our hearts, and He will hold them with great care.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart; O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.
—Robert Robinson (1758-Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing)
Prayer of Response:
Lord, thank you for giving us a soft place to land; an open invitation for return. Thank you for holding our tears, And heavy hearts. Help us to let go – of the things we aren’t meant to hold any longer. Amen.
Questions to Ponder:
- What keeps you from bringing your authentic self before the Lord? Can you surrender these things to Him?
- Reflect on the state of your heart right now. What burdens are you carrying? Can you return these things to Him?
- Thank the Lord for His abounding and steadfast love.
Breath Prayers:
Join us in praying breath prayers each day. We invite you to write your own as well.
Inhale (breathe in): Lord, you are gracious and merciful
Exhale (breathe out): I will give you my heart.
Repeat
—Submitted by Christy Cooper
Christy and her husband Mathew live in the Los Angeles area with two precious (human) daughters and one rambunctious beagle-mix named Winnie Evangeline! She is a lover of God’s presence and a pursuer of His truth. Currently, she serves as the Director of Young Families & Children’s Ministry at her church in Pasadena, CA.