Brokenness 5

Isaiah 57:15

As a child of about ten or eleven I did not understand God at all and had trouble grasping many concepts. It became a joke in my Sunday school class when I did not comprehend the statement that God was everywhere. My teacher would greet me each Sunday by asking, “Did you see God this week?”

I would answer, “Yes, I saw him standing on the street corner.”

I was being facetious, but now I think I was fairly accurate.

In today’s reading, who is being quoted? Where does God live? What does His presence do?

God is everywhere. There is no place in heaven or on earth where God is not. He exists in the grand and lofty mountains of the earth. He exists in the vast waters of the oceans and the breath-taking vistas of fields and forests.

We can encounter God in the exciting and dramatic moments of our life when we are absolutely certain His hand is upon us. We can sense His presence in the quiet and the holy places of retreat. He lives in the complex relationships of life and in the simple moments of love.

But we must always remember that He also lives within those who have a humble heart or a broken spirit. Though we may feel low and worthless, though we may feel that we have no value, still God is within us. We may feel that we are broken people, broken by others, broken by life. Or we may be broken and contrite of our own will, submitting ourselves to the Lord.

No matter where we are He is there to lift us up. God is present to revive us, to give us strength and to give us a new spirit.
If you are broken and contrite, if you are alone or in a crowd, if you are elated or sad, God is present. Let Him pick you up and carry you to His table of love and mercy.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Ask the Lord for revival.