“Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” 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; and He relents from doing harm.
“Turn to Me with all your heart.” It seems to me I need help even to do that. Repentance means honesty before God. Heart-felt honesty. Nothing in my hand I bring.
He is everything. Everything we should be. Everything we need Him to be. Gracious and merciful. Of great kindness.
To repent means to turn, but it more than that. Repentance is not a single event, a one-time alignment. Repentance is more like walking against the wind. It requires continuous effort to advance. Help me, O God.
