A Closer Walk
Here is an interesting nugget from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; 'I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones,'" Isaiah 57:15 KJV.
Our God inhabits eternity. That is His abode. Where His dwelling place is located. In eternity. And His name is Holy. But He also chooses to dwell with those who have a humble spirit and a contrite heart. The dictionary defines humble as: having or showing awareness of one's defects; modest; lowly, unpretentious. The same dictionary defines contrite as: full of or showing remorse or guilt. So the person with a humble spirit and a contrite heart would be aware of their defects, their stumblings and shortcomings if you will, and would have remorse over those defects. In our context here these defects would be our sins; our stumbles and falls. The same God Who inhabits eternity chooses to dwell with those who have humble spirits and contrite hearts.
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise," Psalm 51:17 KJV. When we come to the place of having a broken spirit, it is there that we find humbleness. Brokenness here used to convey the realization of how we have fallen far short of God's will for us, and strayed from His chosen path for us. This brokenness often leads us to confession of sin, asking for forgiveness of that sin, and turning from our errant ways. By the way, Psalm 51 is Israelite King David's conversation with God after Nathan the Prophet confronted him because of his sin with Bathsheba. There is much for us to learn from this Psalm. The events and actions referenced in Psalm 51 can be found in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12.
A broken and contrite heart will not be despised by our God. When we have a broken spirit, we become teachable. Our hearts are open to our Lord and what He desires for us to learn. We return to being the clay, and our Lord being the potter. Then we are the soft clay in the hands of the loving potter. He can mold us and shape us into whatever vessel He desires us to become. We are no longer hardened to life and its situations. Our brokenness can pave the way for us to become the vessels of service that our loving Heavenly Father intends us to become.
Our Father in Heaven chooses to dwell with those of us who are experiencing brokenness, who have gained humble spirits and contrite hearts. And He wants to revive us. He will revive the spirit of the humble one, and He will revive the heart of the contrite one. It would seem that from God's perspective, brokenness is a good thing for us. Because that brokenness leads us to a humble spirit and a contrite heart. Once we get to that point it is now time for the Lord to revive our spirits and hearts. So he takes up residence with us to perform His reviving. Amazing, right?
“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity...'I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.'” What a wonderful nugget.