Revival is the Reason

“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.” (Isa 57:15 AV)

This verse is a special one to me.  I have used it and written about it often.  This verse puts in a nutshell the very nature of God’s relationship with the sinner.  This verse speaks of the value of a humble heart.  Contrite means penitent.  Contrite means more than mere sorrow over one’s faults and sins.  It goes a bit deeper than that.  Another word that is similar is repentance.  Repentance, however, may not have the depth of emotion which is tied with contriteness.  Contriteness has more shame and humility associated with it.  The point is, God values those who walk humbly with Him.  Those, and only those, who exhibit a brokenness are the ones whom God walks with.  But we want to consider the double use of the word ‘revive’.  More to the point, ‘to revive’.

We have this strange understanding that the normal for a saint is to be in a constant state of spiritual and emotional defeat over our faults, failures, and sin.  If we are not somehow beating ourselves up over what we have done of failed to do, we think we might be a bit too arrogant.  Note the purpose for which the LORD dwells with the contrite and humble.  Not to keep them that way.  Rather, to revive them.  Why is it that some believers feel the only way to be spiritual is to practice monasticism?  That being, constantly beating yourself up over failure, faults, or sin.  The idea is to never let yourself live one moment in victory.  The idea is to be preoccupied with how far short one falls when compared to God’s holy standard of righteousness.  Martin Luther comes to mind.  Spending years in chastening himself for all that he was not, he came to the place that he understood acceptance from God only comes from grace.

What we want to consider this morning is the reason God dwells only with the contrite and humble.  He dwells with them so that He can revive them.  Think of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda.  When he met Jesus, he was asked one question and one question only.  Will you be made whole?  This is the question we must ask ourselves today.  Will you (and I) be revived?  Can we live in the grace of God’s forgiveness and the power of the Holy Spirit?  Can we accept that God wants us to rise from the pits of defeat and live on the mountain of acceptance?  Can we leave our sin and faults in the past, taking God’s mercy as our shield?  Can we rebuke the adversary who would have us be impotent concerning spiritual warfare?  Can we accept God’s benevolence and grace without perpetually feeling guilty about it?  Part of us wants to suffer for what we’ve done or failed to do.  This is not what God intends.  He wants us back on our feet.  He wants us to live above our sin.  His grace is the means to do just that.