feeling contrite?

..."This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word."
~Is. 66:2

I almost passed this verse by, but stopped to ask some simple questions and look up a few words in the dictionary--I want to share the picture of God I saw.

Who does God esteem? (esteem means to think highly of, to set a high value on; to regard with reverence, respect, or friendship….to think that the God of the universe would feel this way about His creation!) The person who is humble, contrite in spirit, and trembles at God's word.

Wow, I thought. That’s who God thinks highly of--not those who obey perfectly, not those who are beautiful, eloquent, smart, full of good deeds, assertive, bold, have it together, leaders in the church, come from healthy families (you know, all those things that we esteem)… but those who are humble, who can stand in awe of who He is, who don’t think highly of themselves

Then I looked up the dictionary definition for contrite: the word literally means "bruised, crushed, worn down, broken down," those who have a heart that shows sincere remorse for sin, who filled with a sense of guilt and the desire for atonement, those who are worn down and crushed by sin, those who are thoroughly bruised or broken down with grief, and those who are feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins

That's amazing, God says that He values me when I'm feeling broken and worn down. It's okay! because when I am lowest, He can be highest, when all my self sufficiency is gone, then and only then can He truly be my God...

What is the last thing God says He esteems? those who tremble (defined as: to shake involuntarily, as with fear, cold, or weakness) at His word, those who are shaken and feel weak when brought into contact with the words of the Lord Almighty… it is these who God esteems.

Ever felt like trembling at God's word? Ever felt too small to approach One so great? Ever felt to crushed, broken, and sinful to be around One who is Holy?

And yet, God says, it's when you are here, humble, low, all pride stripped away... that I think the most highly of you. Sounds crazy and backwards, I know. It's so opposite of the way we humans look at things. But God said it, not me!

Oh, for eyes to see those around us the way He does and for faith to see ourselves through His eyes.

Value

If we would know the value of a human soul, we must look in living faith upon the cross, and thus begin the study which shall be the science and the song of the redeemed through all eternity. The value of our time and our talents can be estimated only by the greatness of the ransom paid for our redemption. ~ MYP, 115

Matthew 13:44-46

...The Lord God Made Them All

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small.

All things wise and wonderful:

The Lord God made them all.

Each little flow’r that opens,

Each little bird that sings,

He made their glowing colors,

He made their tiny wings.

~Christmas break in Florida

Shadow of Death

Sometime last year I bought a book entitled GRACE: an invitation to a way of life. Though I've been told all my life, don't judge a book by it's cover, I did. I bought the book because I liked the title... it so aptly described what grace is about!


Upon further investigation of the inside, I have found it to be just as good as its title. The book is somewhat like a devotional journal with questions mixed with readings that go through Psalm 23. I wanted to share something I was reading from it this week:

What is the "valley of the shadow of death"? In the original Hebrew, the words translated "shadow of death" are all actually just one word... The literal translation is "deep darkness."

It is used to describe the darkness people try to hide in when they cover evil actions (see context in Job 24:13-16 and 34:22), the feeling that accompanies rebellion against God (Psalm 107:10-14 ), and God's judgment (Jeremiah 13:16). It can describe confusion (Job 12:22), sadness (Job 16:16), or physical places like a lonely desert (Jer. 2:6) or a mine shaft (Job 28:3). It can signify the darkest moments of the night (Amos 5:8).

It is certainly no coincidence that the prophet Isaiah used this term when he predicted the coming of Jesus, the One who ultimately dispels spiritual darkness (Is. 9:2). "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned."

It's really amazing to think that this word is used in the Bible to describe the darkest things of life, the times when we feel cut off from God, even when it's the result of our own rebellion--God doesn't leave us alone. Psalms 23: 4 says that even there, in those dark valleys, God is with us! Wonderful, Merciful , Gracious God! And in those valleys we can walk, fearing no evil, because He is there.

Shades of Autumn