1 Samuel 24

When I was in high school there was a girl in our youth group who, every time there was an altar call, would go, kneel, and weep. It was the same thing every time. I don’t claim to know what was in her heart. But I think her emotions were real.

I wonder, if her repentance were real, wouldn’t there be a change? Like I said, I don’t know her heart. I am not her judge.

But I think of her when I read about Saul’s response to the truth David spoke to him. Saul wept aloud and admitted his sin. He even promised to change. I think Saul’s emotions were real. But they weren’t enough.

That’s my concern with the emotion-driven “worship” produced in many churches today. We feel the feels but we side-step repentance. Our souls soar with the strategically placed crescendos and key changes, but our hearts remain dead in sin.

It wasn’t enough for Saul to feel sad. It wasn’t enough for him to say sorry.

It’s not enough for us, either.