Day 2 Devotion – A Heart Condition

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

Isaiah 57:15

Where does revival begin? We want to see revival in Washington DC but that must not be our first concern! We long for revival in our state, our county, our city, but that is not the beginning place. We would love to see the life giving Holy Spirit filled revival in our family, in our church, but while the wanting is good, the target is misplaced.

The PLACE of revival MUST always begin in MY heart. Our Lord graciously gives us here the necessary heart condition for revival. The spark of revival is fanned to flame in the heart that is ‘contrite and lowly in spirit’.

Two heart conditions are given for revival: Contrite and Lowly. The Hebrew word for ‘contrite’ is “dakka”. It means that which is crushed to powder! We could use the word ‘pulverized’. The word for lowly is ‘shaphal’ and means abased and lowered to the point of humiliation.

So revival, dear brothers and sisters, is a matter of positioning. In our text today we see that God is “the One who is high and lifted up”. That is God’s rightful place. He is “God most high”. His rightful place as Creator God is to be lifted up above all His creation. He is to be above all in our lives. He is above our passions and our highest affections must never be lifted above Him. He stands alone in perfection of holiness. His very name is Holy.

Revival comes in humble submission to our awesome God. Go to Him humbly in prayer right now. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. You will find His welcoming arms there.

Then, as we come humbly to our Holy God, maybe, by His grace, revival may spread to our family, church, city, county, state and nation. Amen!