The One Thing God Wants From You in PrayerSýnishorn

DAY 4: God Wants Humble Repentance

What if we loved one another in such a way that instead of quickly turning to judgment and correction, we turned to the Lord and asked Him to reveal the heart that was producing the action? What if we have been piling on guilt and disciplining followers of Christ that were coming up short, but with a good heart? What if they really are trying?

God does discipline. Second Chronicles—and lots of other places in the Bible—makes this clear. But God is also very gracious with those that have a humble heart in the midst of sin. So gracious that discipline is avoided because of someone’s humble heart.

For whatever it’s worth, it is much easier and more time effective to merely judge the actions you can see being performed. It takes prayer, and time, and some more prayer to figure out what kind of heart is behind the action. 

Let’s look again at 2 Chronicles 7:14,

“If my people, humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sin, and heal their land.”

Did you notice the order in God’s response to Solomon?

Remember, this verse isn’t talking about a sinless person, but rather one that will commit sin, because, “there is no one who does not sin” (2 Chronicles 6:36). Yet God graciously says, return to me with a humble heart, and I’ll forgive you.

God’s overall concern is not the behavior; instead, God looks to the heart. That is not to say God overlooks sin just because the sinner has a humble heart. All sin, even accidental or unknown sin, is punished—but when we humbly repent, it is Christ who bears the punishment, not us. As a result, the sinful action is never above or greater than God’s forgiving response. God’s grace is always able to match whatever sinful behavior is produced.