A Broken and Contrite Heart

Key Passage: Psalm 57:17

Devotional:

What if you could actually bring delight to God through your attitude and actions? What if the desires and posture of your heart delighted the Lord? This is possible! In fact, the Bible paints a clear picture of what this looks like.

The Bible speaks highly of having a contrite heart, emphasizing that God values humility, repentance, and brokenness over pride and self-sufficiency. A contrite heart refers to a heart that is deeply sorry for sin, sincerely seeking forgiveness and restoration with God.

Here are some key scriptures that highlight what it means to have a contrite heart and how it brings delight to God:

Psalm 57:17 says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Psalm 57 is a psalm of repentance, written by King David after the prophet Nathan confronted him about his adultery with Bathsheba. What is seen in this psalm, and particularly in verse 17, is that God values a humble and repentant heart.

Isaiah 57:15 says, “’For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and lofty 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.’” Have you ever felt that sin has destroyed your connection to God? While it’s true that sin does hurt our relationship with our holy Father in Heaven, the prophet Isaiah points out that God promises to be near to those who are humble and contrite, bringing renewal and restoration. God hates sin but embraces authentic repentance.

In Luke 18, Jesus illustrates how God justifies those who are truly repentant and humble. He says, “’But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.’” That’s awesome! When we are truly repentant and humble, God will exalt us.

A contrite heart is one that recognizes its own sinfulness, deeply repents, and seeks God's mercy. The Bible assures us that God draws near to such a heart, forgives, restores, and lifts it up.

Application Question: Is there sin that you’re clinging to right now? If so, what is keeping you from repentance?

Further Reading: Luke 18

Written by Eric Heatherly