3 Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you.' -Zechariah 1:3
Lately God has been putting the concept of repentance at the forefront of my mind. Uh-oh, right? Well, nevertheless He has, so verses like the one above have been jumping off the page. And as I’ve been pondering what it truly means to repent of sin, to turn from it and to God, I’ve realized this is an act not directly spurred by Him. Unlike the Spirit’s proactive pursuit of the hearts of men for their renewal and resulting salvation, repentance is largely left up to us, to our will.
Time after time, the Bible refers to drawing near to God, seeking Him out (‘Come near to God and He will come near to you,’ James 4:8; ‘Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you…’ Matthew 7:7), but I’m beginning to believe this has much more to do with repentance, post-acceptance of Jesus, than it does with the believer’s initial regeneration. Now, I’m not stating this as undeniable fact, but it does make theological sense. If man is dead in his sin, without the breath of spiritual life within, he’s probably not going to be knocking down God’s door, right? And he’s not going to be inclined to draw near to the Holy of holies, especially given his shameful state. So this is where repentance comes in. The man within whom the Spirit of God dwells, on the other hand, comes to grips with his waywardness, with his affections gone awry, with his valuing of the worldly at the expense of the Godly (the root of all sin), and he feels compelled to turn, change, and reengage with a God that’s been waiting patiently for him the entire time. Think The Return of the Prodigal (painted by Rembrandt, above). The father didn’t pick up his tents and take off when his son chose revelry over righteousness; he stayed in the familiar place, waiting there to be found, longing for his lost one to, you got it, repent and return to him, and to the son’s promised, imperishable inheritance.
Okay, but why? Why does God let His children wander, at times, outside the fold altogether? And when we do so, why does He wait for us to come back to Him? No shock, I believe it has much to do with His glory. While God gets the credit for reviving our spiritually lifeless hearts in the first place, He also receives praise when His children choose to repent and return to Him of their own volition. So, very simply, He’ll wait. He’ll let you and I take the initiative to do an about-face. And He’ll get the glory as He wins out as most desirable, over and above that which we'd been flirting with.
Repentance, then, is a unique opportunity to worship the God whose kindness brings us back for more of Himself, whose loving arms once again break our fall, whose gracious grip never truly lets us go.
Join me, if you will, in reverencing the King of kings. Join me in repentance.
Grace to you,
Voice of another
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