Highest of Heavens and the Humblest of Hearts
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)
How can it be that God dwells in the highest of the heavens but also in the humblest of hearts? How can the God of the Universe, who created all things and by Him everything exists, want to be a part of us?
From the beginning of creation, God created man to work and tend the Garden of Eden while in close relationship with Him. God then formed the animals and brought them to Adam so he could name them. God wanted Adam to have a partner, so He created Eve. Over and over in Genesis, we read about God’s love, concern and willingness to have a relationship with man as well as God’s desire to care for his needs. There was only one rule to follow. Everything else was burden free. God knew that man needed to have free will, for God wanted a relationship based on choice, not force. With the freedom to choose, Adam and Eve chose to disobey God. From that time moment on, Adam and Eve died in two ways: physically in time and spiritually that day. Sin entered into the heart of man that day and severed our relationship with Lord. Today, we are all born spiritually dead.
This broke God’s heart. He created us to have a relationship with Him; He created us to dwell with Him. From Genesis chapter 3 until Revelation 21, the Bible is about God’s plan to get the world back, reversing the destruction of sin. The answer was prophesied in Genesis 3:15 as being Jesus. Jesus is the One who came to restore sinful man back to a Holy God. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The wages of sin is death but Jesus came to bring life so we can live abundantly.
So whose heart does God dwell with today? He dwells with those humble of heart. He dwells with those who prayed and said,
Lord, I know that I am a sinner and in need of a savior. I know that You sent Your Son to die on the cross, shedding His blood for my sins. I ask You, Jesus, to come into my heart and save me. I surrender control of my life to You. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and lead me in Your ways. Thank You for saving me.”
Every day I am in need of my Savior. He sacrificed it all that I might have life and that more abundantly. I have been saved the majority of my life and yet even now when I read a devotion such as this it brings tears to my eyes and conviction to my heart. Find me ready Lord, every moment of every day, find me ready. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to miss the opportunity to spend eternity with The One who sent His Son to die for me that I might live with Him for eternity. What a love beyond measure. He doesn’t force me to love Him, He allows me to choose, wow! Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Amen!!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 51:10-17
Give Him Praise
Solomon began by highlighting God’s holiness and faithfulness. Then he gave God credit for the success of the project and emphasized God’s greatness, declaring, “The heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!” (2 Chron. 6:18).
After exalting God, Solomon asked Him to pay special attention to everything that happened inside the temple. He asked God to show mercy to the Israelites and to provide for them when they confessed their sin.
Immediately after Solomon’s prayer, “fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house” (7:1). This incredible response reminds us that the mighty One we praise and speak to when we pray is the same One who listens to and cares about our requests. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
When I read this it reminded me that so often we seek God in prayer for what we need when it’s so important to take time to spend in prayer giving Him praise and thanksgiving for every thing in our lives. Let’s take time today and just give Him the praise and honor He deserves and put our requests off to the side for a day, He already knows what we have need of before we even ask so let’s prioritize God today and have a conversation with Him today about how mighty He is and how grateful we are. When we do that we will find that everything else, our needs, our wants, will all fall into place and we will find a peace so so sweet. He deserves our praise. Let’s draw closer to Him as we pray. He is worthy of our praise!! Amen!
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 2 Chronicles 6:12-21