March 13, 2025
Joel 2:12-14
Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your hearts,
With fasting, with weeping, and with sorrow; tear your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate,
Very patient, full of faithful love, and ready to forgive.
Who knows whether he will have a change of heart and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God?
God, we are so very sorry
that we have strayed away from you
and from your Word.
But we come now
with weeping and with fasting
and with great humility asking for forgiveness.
God, there are times that we have fasted
and our behavior has not changed.
We have called on you
but we have had our fingers crossed behind our backs
knowing that what we were saying,
we really didn’t mean!
Sometimes we call the words of prayer
because it is something we are supposed to do;
not something that we really feel in our hearts.
So today, O God,
we want to empty ourselves
of all things that are not of you.
And we want to pray to you with pure hearts.
You are a great God!
You are full of compassion and mercy
and you love us
more than we could ever love ourselves.
Give us a changed heart
so that we will be able to help others
along the way in their journey.
Give us changed hearts
so that the world would be a better place
because we have put down wickedness,
and we have put down evil
and our hearts are pure
not only toward you
but toward our brothers and sisters.
God,
when we tear our clothes but not our heart,
we have done nothing!
Tear our hearts wide open
and let all things that should not be there spill out!
But then, God,
when you put our hearts back together,
fill it and stuff it with LOVE!
And when we love
we know that love covers a multitude of sins.
With all that we are,
and all that we have,
and all that we will ever be,
we give it all to you,
because we LOVE you
And we thank you!
Blessed be your Name, O God.
Amen.
