The Lost Art of Repentance

The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

Jonah 3:5-6, 10

When was the last time you were broken over your sin? When was the last time you really spent time in prayer asking God to forgive you? Or better yet, when was the last time you confessed your sins to another Christian (James 5:16) and asked them to pray for you as you tried to break the power of sin in your life? Or even more rare, when was the last time you repented of how you had been living publicly, like maybe before your church? 

Chances are you haven't done any of those things recently, because most believers don't really ever repent. It's a shame really because there is power in true repentance. It saved the city of Nineveh when Jonah preached to them (Jonah 3). It saved the wicked King Ahab of Israel (I Kings 21:17-29). And it saved the wicked King Manasseh of Judah (2 Chron 33:1-13). True, heartfelt, gut-wrenching repentance is a key to unlocking God's compassion.

"How do I do it?" you might ask. Well, the Ninevites, for all their wickedness, give us a pretty good example to follow. when it comes to repentance. Kings Ahab and Manasseh follow pretty much the same model as do many more in Scripture. 

First, their repentance was wholehearted. They believed God's Word and acted in keeping with it. Second, they humbled themselves with fasting and sackcloth (itchy garments used for repenting and mourning). This was a way to show God and themselves that they really meant it. Third, they repented publicly. They knew that there was no private way to cover up their public sin. If your sin stays between you and God then confess it to God privately, but public sin requires public repentance. They repented publicly in a big way. And it yielded God's compassion.

Remember that God does not change. When you find yourself deserving of God's wrath, enslaved in sin, and ashamed of yourself the old course of action is still the best course of action. Fight off your instinct to cover up your sin. Instead come clean. Drag it into the light and beg for mercy. True repentance will bring compassion out of a gracious God.