This chapter describes the wickedness (idolatry) and contriteness (repentance) of God’s people.
“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. Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry, I struck him; I hid my face and was angry, but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him… creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near… and I will heal him.’ (v15, 17-19 abr)
Have you ever felt wretched and ashamed because of your sin, possibly to the point where your stomach feels sick? I have. As unpleasant as this seems, this icky feeling is actually a good thing – it’s the Holy Spirit showing you just how bad sin really is, and that sick feeling is meant to encourage us to repent of our sin and return to God.
Passages like the one above can encourage us that no matter our sin, God still loves us, He won’t stay angry with us, and He longs to heal and restore us. Our sin is never a secret to God, even if we’re the only human in the world who knows about it. Thankfully, God offers a forgiveness greater than any sin, made possible through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Let’s repent of any sin, past, present or future, and testify to others of how greatly we’ve been redeemed / restored / healed from our sin. That testimony may encourage others who feel icky about their sin to seek that same forgiveness and reconciled relationship with Jesus and the Father.
Father God, our Most Holy and Magnificent Lord, we praise Your Awesome name, for You alone are worthy of our praise. Thank you for the work of the Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin, and points us back to You. May we seek reconciliation and forgiveness, using those as testimonies of Your grace and mercy. May others hear these testimonies and also seek forgiveness for their sin. Thank you Jesus for making grace and mercy freely available to us, so we may experience and share Your love with the world. In Your powerful and wondrous name we praise and honor our Lord God, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training