Rend Your Heart, Not Your Garments

Joel 2:13 NKJV tells us: “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.”

This verse has often stirred something deep in me, and today I want to take a closer look at what it means for me.

The Hebrew word translated “rend” means “to tear, rip apart” or “violently split.” In biblical times, tearing one's garments was an outward public expression of inner turmoil. We see many examples of this in Scripture, both in the Old ad the New Testaments.

But here God is saying that He is not after torn clothes—He desires torn hearts. When you come to the end of yourself and there is nothing more left but God. He wants us to fully turn to Him in our brokenness to experience His mercy, healing and restoration as He transforms us from the inside out.

Psalm 34:18 NKJV reminds us: “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.”

When we come to God in our brokenness—He does not want empty rituals as in Joel’s day. Judah had fallen into a pattern of fake repentance. The people tore their clothes as a religious gesture, and nothing else. They went through the motions without any real remorse or change. God isn’t fooled by our performance—He wants humbleness with genuine hearts turned to Him in total surrender.

I stand in awe at the mercy and grace of our Father ... when we truly rend our hearts—when we truly repent ... God doesn’t leave us in our brokenness ... He restores—He heals—He renews!