Repentance without regret ∙∙
“How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace.” – Luke 1:25
Luke 1:11-24
11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar.
12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.
13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son; you are to name him John.”
17 “He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!”
24 Soon afterward, his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months.
The Transformative Power of Repentance
Sorrow comes in many shades, and words like regret, remorse, repentance, anguish, and shame are often used to describe these deep emotions. Yet, two of these terms, regret, and repentance, are often treated as if they are the same. A closer look shows they carry very different meanings and implications.
Regret is a painful emotion, a reaction to past mistakes, failures, or missed opportunities. It pulls us into a loop of guilt, shame, or even anger, as we replay old memories over and over. Regret is about feeling bad, but it doesn’t naturally lead to change. It’s grief without resolution, turning our focus inward to the mistakes we’ve made and the consequences we’ve felt.
Repentance, however, is about more than sorrow. It’s not just a feeling of regret; it’s a conscious decision to change. Repentance begins in the mind, a commitment to turn away from harmful choices and align ourselves with righteous ones. Repentance is about learning from one’s mistakes and making a genuine effort to avoid repeating them. It’s marked by action, by taking steps to grow, learn, and become better. While repentance may involve remorse, it is forward-moving by its very nature, ushering in positive transformation and a renewed relationship with God.
A Story of Waiting and Redemption
To see the beauty of repentance unfold, consider the story of Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah. Elizabeth lived for years under the weight of regret and shame because she was childless. In her time and culture, barrenness was often seen as a sign of God’s disfavor (1 Samuel 1:5-6). Though she and Zechariah were righteous and faithful to God, their lack of children cast a shadow over their lives and put them in the judgmental spotlight of a gossiping community. Yet, Elizabeth held onto faith, continuing to walk in obedience even when her circumstances didn’t seem to reflect God’s favor.
Then, in His timing, the Father intervened. He sent His angel Gabriel to deliver a message straight from His throne. Elizabeth would have a son, a miracle child who would become John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah foretold in Isaiah 40:3-5.
The timing, while long delayed from a human perspective, was divinely orchestrated. Why did the Father wait so long? His timing is always perfect. John’s birth had to align precisely with the arrival of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though Elizabeth and Zechariah were well beyond the typical childbearing age (Luke 1:6), their lives reminded the world that nothing is impossible with God. Just as He brought life through Sarah’s barren womb to establish the nation of Israel, He brought life through Elizabeth to prepare the way for His Son.
Romans 4 speaks to the kind of faith that drives trust in God’s promises, even when circumstances seem hopeless.
Romans 4:19-21: “And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead – and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this, he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.”
Zechariah, however, faced doubts. His moment of questioning drew a direct response from the angel Gabriel, whose reply left no room for argument.
Luke 1:19: “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was He who sent me to bring you this good news!”_
In spite of their doubts, God’s plan unfolded, revealing His goodness and sovereignty.
REFLECT & PRAY
Scripture makes it clear that God doesn’t waste sorrow. Regret, shame, and guilt can weigh us down, but in His hands, these heavy emotions can be tools for transformation. While regret on its own leaves us stuck in the past, God uses godly sorrow to push us toward repentance and renewal.
Father, take away my feelings of loss and remorse and grant me a renewed spirit to live and serve You without regret or shame.
INSIGHT
From Sorrow to Restoration
The Father has a unique way of dealing with regret, shame, and the consequent sense of inadequacy and self-doubt they produce. The Father turns it around by using sorrow to produce repentance without regret.
2 Corinthians 7:9-10 “9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. 10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret . . ..”
How did the Father bring about this miraculous occurrence? How did He do it? The ultimate resolution for our guilt, shame, and regret was accomplished through Jesus Christ on the cross. Isaiah 53 describes the profound weight He carried to free us from the chains of sin and sorrow once and for all.
Isaiah 53:3-10: “He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief . . .. Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin . . ..”
Every child of the King is cleansed completely the moment they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. We only have to appropriate it by faith to make it real in our lives. The Lord Jesus Christ died not only for our sins but also for our personal guilt, shame, and feelings of inadequacy. Through His blood, we are redeemed, and our guilt is permanently removed. Although we may stumble in this fallen world as we walk with the Father, feelings of shame and regret are entirely avoidable. This is terrific news!
From Regret to Repentance
How do we move from regret to repentance? The answer lies in surrendering to God’s truth and trusting in His capacity to bring about change. Mary, the mother of Jesus, demonstrates this beautifully in her response to the angel Gabriel’s astonishing news. Instead of resisting God’s plan or pleading for it to be altered, she responds with simple, profound faith.
“May Your will be done,” she says (Luke 1).
The Father has given His children a marvelous gift of a clean slate. It is time to actualize it and put the past behind us.
Gabriel stood in the very presence of God. Where do you stand?
¯_(ツ)_/¯5-17-3
© Dr. H 2025
Dr H Reflections 