Getting God's Attention

"The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." --Psalm 34:18

"For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." --Psalm 51:16-17

"Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." --Isaiah 66:1-2

WOW! it said in Isaiah--"to this man will I look." To think if I will humble myself in such a way God will "look" to me. Imagine, momentarily, God looking a certain direction--maybe at something of His creation like a new flower opening to show its great slendar. Or maybe He sees and is watching the fighting in Iraq. But then God [the one all powerful, holy, pure, righteous God] hears my humble prayer. The verse tells us He "looks" to me. God's attention is drawn to me. He may have been looking this direction over there, but He turns to "look" at me. This pleases Him. The Holy Spirit is no longer grieved. The Spirit of God is then free to give me the power needed to resist sin. And the real great thing is that it's the same for all of us. God will "look" to whoever will humble themselves before Him. When we try to do right in our own flesh the time will come when we will fail. We need God's supernatural power to help us--to work these things out through us.

The humility that pleases God includes three elements:

1. Repentance--acknowledging to God we need His forgiveness.
2. Submission--we must subject ourselves to God and His ways.
3. Dependence--acknowledging to God we cannot resist sin effectively without help from Him.

At that moment of repentant, submissive, dependent humility we receive God's attention and assistance.