For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
(Psalms 51:16-17)
We seek to draw near to God in our pursuit of Him, and to make an offering of worship to Him that is truly a sweet smelling aroma to our Lord, well pleasing in His sight. And yet all these require the right heart, one that is broken and contrite.
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
(Psalms 34:18)
So in His grace comes the breaking, one that has eternal value, and does indeed draw us nearer to Him, and deeper in to His heart, where true peace and purpose is found. But, it hurts (really hurts), and yet the same grace that brings us to the place, is the only thing that carries us through…the grace of God. This is the place of surrender….where the humble heart is crafted by the Master.
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
(Micah 6:8)
This is not just a one off thing or season, but truly an ongoing theme that visits us in waves as He peels back the layers of our heart to make it truly one of flesh, and fully devoted to Him. Our challenge, to respond at this time, by drawing nearer to Him, devoting time with our Lord, which is actually what carries us through.
The yielded soul is so ably used of the Lord to accomplish His mighty plans in the kingdom of God, however much more importantly, it is the thing that truly pleases Him, and He uses to shape us for our eternal destiny and design. He too revives our hearts, healing brokenness.
Jesus, the lover of our soul, so desires us to be with Him, near to the Father’s heart, He draws us to this valley of brokenness, knowing it is the very thing that prepares us to be seated with Him, at the right hand of God, in the highest mountain, Mount Zion. This is revival.
For thus says the High and Lofty One
Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,
To revive the spirit of the humble,
And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
(Isaiah 57:15)
Whether it be a road He led you in to, or a good work He is now working out in your life due to circumstances created by yourself, mankind, or the enemy, choose to count it deep joy, for in it He is saying, “my daughter, my son, I desire for you to be so close to Me, so I shape you to be more like Jesus, and less like the world. I count you truly worthy to be in my presence, and through My Son, so you are.”
Cast Down but Unconquered
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you.
And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
(2 Corinthians 4:7-15)
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