Return With a Torn Heart

Joel urges God’s people to rend their hearts, not merely their garments. The Lord desires sincere repentance, not outward display without inward change. Yet the call to return is filled with hope, because God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in kindness. We do not come back to a reluctant Father, but to One whose compassion welcomes the humble and restores the broken.