What does God see?

What does God aspire in you? In other words, what do you believe is something He desires in His children? I've wrestled with this question this week. I know He longs for worshippers to be centered on Him. I know He longs for His children to crave His Word. I know He longs for followers to preach the Gospel of His Son to all nations. I know He longs for us to walk in His Spirit and not by our fallen flesh. With that being said, would there be another area He aspires? I see a powerful truth in Isaiah 66:2 that we must digest. Take a moment and chew on this verse.

"All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things came to be,
declares the Lord.
But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word. " - ESV

For the sake of this post, we are going to camp out on the last half of the verse. God aspires, God LOOKS to those that are: humble, contrite, and tremble at His Word. This is rich. How are we reflecting that in our own lives? How are we showing humility? How are we contrite? How are we trembling at His Word? For the remainder of this post, let's look at these three categories separately.

1. Humble. God looks to those that are humble. Literally, those that acknowledge that they are poor and afflicted...and are in desperate need for His daily grace. If we were to live in such a way that we recognize our fallen nature and need for His divine favor, it would radically change the way we live. This truth hits me like an 18 wheeler. How can I live with humility? How can I not look to the faults of others and overlook my own? Humility places us in such a place that we are far more dependant on Him and less dependant on our own fallen state.

2. Contrite. God looks to those that are contrite. What does that exactly mean? Literally, those that are stricken. This connects us to humility. We are stricken daily in this fallen world. Looking at a "conservative" news website that many Christians favor led me to a contrite spirit. I'm not a political person. Some of my brothers seem to be driven by politics like teenage girls obsessed with Justin Beiber. Being contrite in Spirit literally can be in our stricken awareness of the depravity around us and our desperation for God to rescue. Do we live with that kind of urgency?

3. Trembling at His Word. God looks to those that are trembling at His Word. Literally, those that find fear and reverence in His Word. This attitude comes from a heart of meditation and an intentional desire to daily know Him more. I find that the only way I can know Him more is to study His perfect Word. This involves humility, because I come across passages almost weekly that destroy my way of thinking. I long for the day that the church and her leaders will tremble at His Word more than their personal agenda. How important is His Word to you?

In your life, what does God see?

Some thoughts to offer you on this quiet Friday morning in my office. Have a great weekend ahead.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Dave