The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.

2 Kings 23:3

When I hear the word repent I picture someone wagging their finger at me while demanding that I “REPENT!” 

The first thing that I think of when I hear renewal is the DMV, but probably because I just renewed the registration on my van!

What do the words “repent” and “renewal” mean to you? Repent means “to feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one's wrongdoing or sin.” To renew something means to 

“resume (an activity) after an interruption.” Repentance and renewal go hand-in-hand, because without deep repentance there can be no genuine renewal. It’s easy to say, “Sorry!” when we see we’ve done something wrong, or rather when we notice someone close is unhappy with something we’ve done. Real repentance is more than lip-service: it’s an honest, inward look at our behavior and the action steps that need to be taken to course correct. Deep repentance starts in the heart rather than the head, and it creates in us the desire to make lasting change.

Young King Josiah set out to do the noble and right thing by repairing the Temple of the Lord (2 Kings 22:3-6). In that process a scroll was discovered: the Book of the Law that had been missing for generations...and the laws of which were largely ignored by the people in the absence of the physical document. When the Scroll was found and King Josiah learned what it said, he tore his clothes in anguish and reached out for guidance. Josiah repented before God for his people’s sin (2 Kings 22:11-13), and ultimately he renewed the covenant between the Lord and His people. 

What about renewing our relationship with God? Repentance is needed to begin again right where you are with any relationship, but God isn’t demanding it with a wagging finger. There is no time limit on God’s grace, and anyone who approaches Him with a truly repentant heart receives the opportunity for renewal. 

God knew Josiah’s heart was truly repentant for how the people had ignored the laws of the Lord for so long, and that led to a genuine renewal of the covenant between God and His people. Josiah’s honest repentance transformed an entire nation that had been out of line for generations! How’s your relationship with God? Do you need to re-engage with your faith? Are you in need of a little R(epentance) and R(enewal)?