Revive Us Now

Isaiah 57:15
For this is what the high and lofty One says —
he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
"I live in a high and holy place,
but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.


When Heather was about 4 years old, one day she came back from her school and told me she could recite Bible verses that her teacher had helped her to memorize. Isaiah 57:15 was one of the very first scripture verses she memorized. Needless to say, both Doreen and I were hugely impressed by Heather’s ability to memorize the entire verse at such a young age, and since then this verse sank into my mind so deeply that God began to teach me concerning His ways of dealing with His children, a demonstration of His amazing love. Here, Isaiah painted a beautiful picture, highlighting the vast contrast between the lofty One, the Almighty God in His holy place, and the lowly ones, those who are contrite in spirit. It seems unimaginable for God to reach out to the lowly, but the good news is…. God did it ! He reached down to us and save us ! and He is still doing that today for us ! No wonder the Psalmist proclaim this : “For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies”.(Ps 108:4).

So, who are the lowly and the contrite in spirits ?
I searched some Bible commentaries and found 2 possible explanations:
1. Those who are humble. The pride and self-righteousness of the hearers in Isaiah’s time were the stumbling block in the way of their acknowledging God. We could be guilty of making the same mistakes today by thinking that we can do all things on our own without God. Without the grace of God, we can’t even carry on our daily routine and lead a normal life. So, be humble. Thank Him for your life and acknowledge Him, worship Him and honour Him for who He is, and He shall revive you.

2. Those who are spiritually dead. To revive is to bring life to the dead, or the almost dead. Many times I ran into the problem of having my mobile phone with me but failed to realize that the battery was dead. So I could not be connected at all. You see, I could carry on having a dead battery in my phone, making fake calls all day long but that doesn’t change the fact that my phone is dead, unless I recharge my battery. To revive a dead spiritual life is to be recharged by God’s power. I know none of us, even if it is true, would like to admit openly that our spiritual life is dead. But the most beautiful thing here is that if you happen to fall into the category of the spiritually dead group, you are “qualified” to receive God’s mercy according to this verse, at the expense of Jesus. You may be lowly and contrite now, but God promised to be with you ! When you re-connect with God, you will be transformed to be alive in Christ. So, no matter what state you are in right now, God can revive You and give you a new beginning. He has done so for me, many times. If ever there is a time when we most needed to be recharged spiritually, the time is now. When you look around at the political turmoils in many parts of the world, as well as in Malaysia, you will realize that we need revived Christians to fight on our knees, in earnest prayers.

Here’s my song: Revive us now. Hope it brings encouragement to you today.
To my God, who live in high and holy place
To my King, the high and lofty One
Thank You for remembering us
Thank You for being with the contrite and lowly in spirit

Revive us now Lord, revive the spirit of the lowly,
Revive us now Lord, revive the heart of the contrite
We humbly seek You face for Your healing touch
Lord, make us whole again.

Revive Us Now