What do you think of when you think of repentance? Most people would say it means feeling sorry for your sins. Some think repentance must be accompanied by tears and heart-felt anguish. When we think of repentance, we often think of sorrow, guilt, and unworthiness because of all our sins, failures, and mistakes. We focus on our feelings. But here's the thing: true repentance isn't about our feelings. That's so important it needs to be repeated:

In our English language translations, we often miss the deepest truths of Scripture. Studying the original Hebrew language gives us a far better meaning. The Hebrew word for "repent" is from the root "shuv", which simply means "to turn back" or "to return." It is a call for a specific action, not an emotion.

Over and over again. the nation of Israel turned away from God. Over and over again, God sent prophets to warn them to repent. When the prophets warned Israel to repent, they weren't asking them just to feel sorrow or guilt, they were telling them to make a U - turn! God wanted them to turn around; to turn back to Him and do the things He had commanded them to do.

Repentance in our language seems to mean just feeling sorry for something we've done. But in the Hebrew language, repentance means taking a deliberate action: turning around and doing the things God has instructed us to do.

Our world is all about our "feelings". Wordly sorrow is about feeling guilty and sorry for our wrongdoing, but Godly sorrow leads to the action of repentance. 2 Corinthians 7:10 tells us: "For Godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be regretted: but the sorrow of the world works death."

But wait, there's more! The Hebrew definition reveals an amazing truth that we often miss. Repentance is not a one-way act, it is a reciprocal relationship between us and God. In Malachi 3:7, the Lord of Hosts declares: "Return to Me, and I will return to you." Or as James wrote:

Draw near to God, and He will
draw near to you. (James 4:8)

Should we feel sorrowful for our sins? Absolutely. But we cannot call that repentance. Our sorrow must lead to action: we have to turn around from our sinful ways and turn back to God. Like the loving father in the story of the Prodigal Son, our loving Father deeply longs for us to repent and turn around back to Him! And when we do, He will meet us with open arms!