God Dwells with the Contrite and Lowly
This Communion meditation reflects on Isaiah 57:15 and the impossible hope made real through Jesus. Through the cross, God revives the lowly and contrite, granting his people hope, joy, and peace through his presence.
- God is not confined by the physical world or limited as humanity is.
- Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God’s presence dwells with his people.
- The bread and cup invite believers to remember Christ’s suffering and cleansing blood.
By Stuart Powell
Our God is not confined to the physical world. Nor have the limits of his nature ever been measured. Humanity is unlike God in those respects. We are also broken by our sinful choices. The sin that inhabits our lives and tears apart our world destroys our confidence in the people around us and diminishes hope. God is aware of the things that weary us and build frustration in our hearts. He offers promises of redemption to overcome our collapse into despair.
God’s Promise to the Lowly and Contrite
God shared one of the greatest promises of his redemption plan through his prophet in Isaiah 57:15 (New International Version):
“For this is what the high and exalted One says—
he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
‘I live in a high and holy place,
but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.’”
What God promised sounded impossible in Isaiah’s day. However, when Jesus walked on earth the impossible desire of a holy Creator dwelling with sinful people became real. Even better, because of the work God did through Jesus’ death and resurrection, that impossible hope has become the living reality for generations of Christians. God the Holy Spirit dwells in the hearts of those who follow Jesus with a contrite and lowly spirit. Through the cross, God is able to revive in us a spirit of hope making us ready to live this life and the life to come with him. He grants us his purposes, building a new confidence in his joy and peace that even the sin dwelling within us cannot destroy.
Remembering Christ at the Table
As we eat and drink of the Communion elements today, let’s pause to relive the suffering Jesus endured to open the way for this gracious exercise of God’s presence in the lives of people. The bread reminds us that his body was beaten for our punishment. The cup retells the story of his life-blood offered to cleanse our sinful souls.
Author: Stuart Powell
Stuart Powell lives outside of Terre Haute, Indiana, where he serves with the North Side Christian Church.
