The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.
~ Isaiah 57:15 (NLT)
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If you've ever been truly sorry for something you've done wrong, you understand what it means when God talks about "the crushed spirits of the humble". All courage and will to fight is lost when you have a repentant heart. You simply fall on your face in godly sorrow and desire forgiveness and restoration.
And the Holy God, the Maker of all things, says That's what I'm talkin' about. That is the heart that pleases me. That is the heart I live with. That is the heart that will live with Me.
Contrite is an old word, one we don't use very often...
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
con·trite
–adjective
1. caused by or showing sincere remorse.
2. filled with a sense of guilt and the desire for atonement; penitent: a contrite sinner.
God says that He's not interested in our pomp and circumstance. He doesn't care how lofty our churches are or how grand our prayers. He's looking for the contrite heart, one who knows they are a sinner in need of atonement. Why? Because it's the truth of humanity. We're all sinners in need of a Savior. But if we're never struck in our hearts with the gravity of our sin and our complete inability to clean out the filth in our soul, we will never humble ourselves to the God who can rescue us.
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret... ~ 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV)
Pride says..."I can do it myself! I can be good enough on my own. Besides, I'm not that bad..."
Contrition says..."my whole heart is a filthy mess! I am so sorry for all I've done against You, oh God. Forgive me, please, and give me a clean heart, as only You can do."
You are not pleased by sacrifices, or I would give them. You don't want burnt offerings. The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit. God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin. ~ Psalm 51:16-17 (NCV)
God wants a relationship with people. He wants to dwell with the souls He created. But stubborn pride and willfulness against His ways can't exist in a relationship with Him -- He says it just won't work. His holiness can't live with our arrogance. It's like oil and water -- they just don't mix.
The good news is that any person who comes to God with a contrite heart is embraced, fully and completely! You don't need to get your act together first or somehow attain to a certain spiritual level before God is pleased with you...in fact, you can't. Not without Him. He says All I want from you is a broken heart...broken pride, broken arrogance, broken self-sufficiency. That I can work with. That I can use. That I can love. Then let me do the rest...
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
~ 1 John 1:9 (NIV)
Give God the sacrifice of your broken and contrite heart. It is more pleasing to Him than a thousand stuffed tithing envelopes or an aria from a ten-thousand voice choir.
Love,
Joelene
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