The recalled

When we hear that something we bought has been recalled, we know there is a defect—something that needs fixing. But what if that word applied not just to products, but to us? 

We were created by God to reflect His image on earth—to be His likeness, His message, His living testimony. In Eden, humanity was entrusted with a divine calling: to expand God’s presence, to fill the earth with His glory. Yet through Adam’s choice, that original design was marred. God’s intent for us seemed lost.

But here is the good news: we are the Recalled.

God is calling us back to our true identity, back to His dream for us. In this season on the biblical calendar, the month of Elul—the final month before the new year—we enter a time of preparation. These forty days, known as the Days of Teshuvah (repentance), are not meant to condemn us. Instead, they remind us that repentance is one of the most beautiful gifts God has given. 

Repentance is not punishment. Repentance is God’s invitation to return—to the life He designed, to the love He intended, to the identity He always saw in us.

God reveals Himself as Jehovah Rapha, the Healer, the Fixer. He restores what is broken. He recalls us to Himself. He's always had a plan. 

Every day in Elul, Psalm 27 is read as a reminder of this promise: 

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13 NKJV) 

In Hebrew, the word “unless” actually spells Elul backwards. Even in the language, we see God’s reminder: repentance is reversal. A turning back. A recalling.

Teshuva: The Pictograph of Repentance

The root of the teshuvah is shuv. The Hebrew word shuv (repent/return) is spelled with two key letters:

• Shin (ש) – drawn in paleo as teeth S. It carries the sense of pressing in, consuming, or even crushing. Spiritually, it speaks of pressing in to God.
• Bet (ב) – drawn in paleo as a house or tent B .   It represents dwelling, belonging, family, and God’s household. 

Put together, shin + bet gives a picture of pressing back into the house. Repentance, then, is not groveling—it’s coming home. It is the Father recalling His children, urging us to return to His dwelling, where we belong.

When the letter hey (ה) is added to shuv as in the word teshuvah, the meaning deepens: “to capture, or to reveal.” This reveals God’s heart—that in repentance, He captures our hearts again and reveals our true identity in Him.

Prayer Challenge
Father, thank You for recalling me back to my true identity. Thank You that repentance is not condemnation, but invitation. I return to You today—to Your love, to Your truth, to Your calling on my life. Restore me, heal me, and let me walk in the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Amen.