Luke 15:10 “There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” This verse shows us that God's Heart is Not Hesitant—It's Joyful. When we think about coming back to God after failure or sin, we often imagine Him standing at a distance, arms crossed, disappointed, waiting for us to prove we’re really sorry. But that is not the God of the Bible. God doesn’t forgive reluctantly. He doesn’t roll His eyes when we repent. He rejoices. He celebrates. He runs to meet us. Music: "Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
God's Heart is Not Hesitant—It's Joyful
Luke 15:10 “There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
We are closing out out month on Repentance in mentoring and I think this verse is an important one for us all to know about. God's Heart is Not Hesitant—It's Joyful
When we think about coming back to God after failure or sin, we often imagine Him standing at a distance—arms crossed, disappointed, waiting for us to prove we’re really sorry. But that is not the God of the Bible. God doesn’t forgive reluctantly. He doesn’t roll His eyes when we repent. He rejoices. He celebrates. He runs to meet us.
Repentance isn’t just about our sorrow. It’s about God’s joy.
1. Heaven Celebrates When We Return
Luke 15:7 “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
This verse is from the parable of the lost sheep, part of a trio of parables Jesus tells in Luke 15: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (or prodigal son). In each story, something precious is lost, then found—and each time, there's celebration. Jesus wants us to know that repentance isn’t the end of joy—it’s the beginning of it. God is not waiting to shame us. He’s waiting to rejoice over us. He loves us and wants us to come home. He is so happy when we come home. He is not thinking about what we did when we went away, He is happy that we made the decision to turn back to Him and to come home.
2. The Father Doesn’t Just Accept the Prodigal—He Runs
Luke 15:20 “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
In the culture Jesus was speaking to, fathers didn’t run. Running was undignified. But here, the father represents God Himself, and He breaks cultural norms to embrace His child who is coming home. The verse says that while he was still a long way off…God doesn't wait for us to do all the hard work and then come to us. He sees us trying and making the effort, even if that effort is very small, and He comes running!! He sees us turn to Him, even if it is just the slightest turn, and He comes running. The father doesn’t wait for the son to finish his apology speech. He sees his heart, and that’s enough.
We might think we must explain ourselves and jump through hoops to be accepted back into the family. We, like the prodigal, don’t even think we are worthy to be let back into the family. So we come up with a whole justification of why we are asking for forgiveness and explaining why it is ok if we aren’t fully forgiven. It is ok if our loved ones want to keep us at a distant.e
God’s joy is not based on how perfect your repentance is, but on your desire to return. He knows the moment your heart turns toward Him—and He moves first.
3. God's Joy is Greater Than Your Guilt
Many people struggle to believe God can be happy to see them after what they’ve done. They may think: “Sure, He’ll forgive me—but He won’t be happy about it.”
But Scripture paints a different picture.
Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God is with you… He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
God delights in you. He doesn’t just tolerate you. He doesn’t forgive you because He has to—He does it because He wants to. His joy is rooted in love. And repentance restores that relationship, which is cause for celebration.
4. God’s Kindness is What Draws Us to Repent
Romans 2:4 “Do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”
God’s mercy is not weakness—it’s a strategy of love. He’s not trying to trap you in guilt. He’s trying to lead you back with compassion, knowing His joy will become your healing.
5. Joy Is Mutual: God Rejoices, and So Do We
When we repent, God rejoices—but we’re invited into joy, too.
Psalm 51:12 “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
True repentance leads to freedom, not fear. The weight of sin is lifted. Relationship is restored. Joy is revived. God’s joy becomes your joy.
What Does This Mean for Us Today?
If you’ve wandered, God is not angry—He’s waiting with joy.
If you feel ashamed, know that God’s delight is greater than your past.
If someone else is returning to God, don’t question their worthiness—celebrate with heaven.
If you’re leading others, reflect God’s posture: compassion, welcome, and joy over repentance.
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless each one of us today. Lord, we want to believe that you rejoice when we repent. Please help us. Please soften our hearts towards you and allow us to see you as the loving father instead of the angry judge. Help us to turn to you when we mess up. Help us come back to you every time. We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I want to thank you also for your patience as I navigate this difficult season we are in right now with one of our sons. Things are stressful and unpredictable, and I appreciate your patience if I need to replay an episode instead of recording a new one or if I miss a day here and there due to all that is going on. I am doing my best to release new episodes, and when I’m unable to do so, I use ones from when the podcast first came out, as many of you weren't listening back then. Hopefully, they are still new to you. I also wanted to mention my annual retreat in October. It will be at the same place we had it for the last two years. It will be the same weekend, the second weekend in October. However, this year it will be from Saturday morning until Sunday night. Just one overnight. People hit a lot of traffic coming in Friday night last year so this year we will hopefully avoid all that traffic. I will get the registration site up and running soon so you can check out all the details. I will let you know when it is ready! I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day.
Today’s Word from the Lord was received in November / December 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “There are lights everywhere, but I ask you to be my light, to share me with others. Tell them how much I mean to you. ”