Day 215, Year 1

The Arrival of the Lord Jesus

“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 NKJV)

It is unimaginable that the Most High Lord Jesus Christ will knock at the door of people’s hearts. I believe that this must be Jesus humbling Himself, making Himself “smaller” than He is to become human, in order to awaken humans’ hearts with His knocking sound. The two instances of “contrite” in today’s verse, both dakka’ in Hebrew, also mean “broken.” The word “humble” in Hebrew also means “lowly” (Psalm 138:6). Hence, when we welcome Jesus into our hearts, we should hold on to our brokenness, acknowledge our unresolved problems, and humble ourselves before Him. If you truly feel like you are broken or even a mess inside, it doesn’t matter. Jesus is to come in to be with you and help you solve your inner problems. Conversely, if you feel good about yourself, are complacent, and feel like you have nothing to repent, it might be difficult for Him to be with you in a lasting way. In this case, you may need to ask Him to help you humble yourself persistently and spiritually.

Both “revive” in today’s verse, chayah in Hebrew, also mean “quicken,” including solving various life problems. Given the context of the verse, “revive” also means “restore to health.” It is because when people who are in a state of brokenness and humbleness, yet want to live a wonderful life, they need to be healed from their brokenness, reconstructed and revived from the ruins, and elevated from their lowliness. Meanwhile, the meaning of the verse is that God’s people have been humbled after being broken. We need Jesus to restore our spirits so that we can have hope to live, to be able to rise again from where we are discouraged, and to have our lives revived.

The Lord Jesus made Himself “small” to heal our wounds and rebuild our lives. Hence, if you feel that your life is worthless or that you have been deeply hurt, do not be afraid. Jesus will surely heal you, revive your life, and enable you to connect with the Most High God and receive His work continually as you live on earth. In this way, we can all have God’s energy, perspective, and wisdom to face everything in the world, overcoming hardships and suffering, and leading a wonderful life.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you feel like a lowly or broken person? If so, how do you feel about your condition?

2) Do you feel that the Lord Jesus has come to you, desires to live with you, and to rebuild your broken spirit and revive your life?