This Ash Wednesday devotional, for any day you need a fresh start, looks at God’s invitation in Joel: come back to him from the heart. “return to me with all your heart” (Joel 2:12, ESV). He asks us to tear our hearts, not our clothes. God is gracious and merciful, so you can return to him honestly today.
Key Verse
“Yet even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning…” (Joel 2:12, ESV)
A Nation After the Locusts
Joel’s prophecy opens with a devastating locust plague that stripped vines, fig trees, and fields bare. Grain offerings stopped. Farmers wept. Joel saw the disaster as a warning that pointed to the Lord’s coming day of judgment. Israel had grown comfortable, and the swarm exposed how fragile their security really was.
Into that crisis came a call to gather. Joel summoned priests, elders, children, even newlyweds, to a solemn assembly. Everyone was invited to stop, fast, and seek God together. Ash Wednesday echoes that summons. It gathers the church at the start of Lent, not to perform grief, but to turn back to God together with honest hearts.
Yet Even Now
The prophet Joel spoke to a nation devastated by a locust plague, a picture of judgment. Yet amid the ruin God says, Yet even now. It is not too late. Whatever you have done or wherever you have drifted, God’s invitation still stands. Ash Wednesday, which in 2027 falls on February 10, begins the season of Lent with this same call.
Hearts, Not Garments
In ancient Israel, people tore their clothes to show grief. God says to tear our hearts, not our clothes (Joel 2:13). He is not interested in outward religious display without inner change. The ashes on a forehead, a fast, or a church service are meaningful only if they express a heart that is truly turning back to him.
Why We Can Return
The reason to return is not fear but God’s character: because of who he is: full of grace and mercy, patient, and rich in steadfast love. These words echo God’s self-description to Moses in Exodus 34. God is not waiting to crush us. He is waiting to welcome us.
Ash Wednesday reminds us we are dust and will return to dust. That honesty about our frailty leads us to Jesus, who died and rose so that dust could live forever. Whatever season it is, you can return today.
Practicing Return During Lent
Returning to God is not a one-time event. Lent offers forty days to practice it. Consider choosing one simple discipline: a daily time of confession, a weekly fast from a meal or from social media, or reading one Gospel from start to finish before Easter. The goal is not to impress God or to prove your seriousness. It is to make space for your heart to turn.
When you fail at your Lenten practice, and most of us do, remember why you can return. God’s character, not your track record, is the ground of your welcome. Each time you notice you have drifted, simply turn back again. That rhythm of turning is the heart of repentance.
Today, Try This
Set aside ten minutes to reflect honestly on where your heart has drifted from God. Write a short prayer of return, and consider giving up one thing for a season to focus on him.
Reflection Question
What would it look like for you to return to God with your whole heart, not just outwardly?
Prayer
Gracious God, yet even now I return to you. Search my heart and show me where I have drifted. Thank you that you are merciful, patient, and rich in steadfast love. Turn my heart fully back to you through Jesus. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is meant by Ash Wednesday?
Ash Wednesday begins Lent, a season of repentance and preparation for Easter. Ashes remind believers of their mortality, recalling God’s words to Adam in Genesis 3:19, and of the need to return to God. Joel 2:12–13 (ESV) is a traditional reading calling people to return with all their heart.
What does ‘tear your hearts, not your garments’ mean?
In Joel 2:13 (ESV), God calls for genuine inner repentance rather than outward displays of grief like tearing clothes. He cares about a sincerely turned heart more than religious rituals done without real change. The invitation rests on God’s character: he is kind and compassionate, patient, and overflowing with faithful love.
When is Ash Wednesday in 2027?
Ash Wednesday falls on February 10, 2027, 46 days before Easter, which is March 28, 2027. Many churches hold services where ashes are placed on the forehead, often with readings such as Joel 2:12–13 (ESV) and Psalm 51. The season invites believers to return to God with all their heart.
Keep Reading
- Explore more: repentance in the bible
- Read more daily devotionals
- The narrow way: what the narrow gate means (Matthew 7:13-14)
- Bible Verses About Forgiveness