Isa 66:2 But on this one will I look :( look upon intently in a focused way, to regard with favor) On him who is poor (needy, in want) and of a contrite (meaning crippled, disabled, Thoroughly broken, godly sorrow producing humility) spirit, And who trembles (to shake with holy fear) at (toward) My word.
In order to understand the word we have to experience the word. Having a broken spirit is a quality of spirit that is repentant. It is humility of spirit that is submissive to the Lord. A broken spirit is a contrite spirit. When our spirit is contrite, we can feel the nearness of the Lord and the renewing of the Holy Spirit; our spirit is in a condition of openness to the Lord, for his life to flow into it.
In learning how to walk with God the most important quality to have is a broken spirit. The will of God is first of all a state of heart-a certain type of spirit.
To tremble at God’s word is an experience we have when our spirit is enabled to tune into the fear of the Lord. Through the illumination of the Holy Spirit we can see the glory of the Lord and how we fall short of it. Jesus is the word made flesh, we see the perfection he manifested through the revelation of the Holy Spirit and how we fall short of it.
To tremble at God’s word means that the fear of God gate in our spirit is open and our body shakes as God reveals his will in its perfection to us. We are participating in the flow of God’s Spirit so it is drawing us closer to him in his holiness.
These our qualities of spirit that our spirit is able to tune into at will, once the senses of our spirit are open to them. To have a broken and contrite spirit, to have a repentant spirit, to have a spirit in tune with the fear of the Lord, is a quality we can maintain.
These are all qualities of spirit that we experience when our spirit is communing with God’s Spirit. They are all positive because our spirit is connecting with God and we experience him in them.
Once our spirit becomes broken we can sense the nearness of God. In our brokenness there is also a comfort and the help of the Holy Spirit. It is when we become poor in spirit, that we can draw the strength of the Lord.
When our spirit becomes truly broken, we can then begin to maintain this brokenness in our walk with God.
The greater part of repentance is that continual brokenness that continually looks to the Lord for His Strength.
The Lord dwells with those who are of a contrite spirit; this is a spirit totally dependent upon the Lord.
When our spirit was quickened through the life of God, it has the capacity to be poor in spirit. Being poor in spirit means that our spirit in itself is not strong enough to overcome the flesh, it has to strengthened through the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Being poor in spirit means that our spirit has not yet been developed in its appropriation of the nature of God, all of the fruit of the Spirit grows or increases in our life. We have yet to realize our love and joy potential.
When our spirit is communing with God’s Spirit, it is drawing upon the divine nature. His life is flowing into it which is called the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace etc. The fruit of the Spirit begins to grow and develop and increase and expand inside of us.
When we are poor in spirit means that we are looking to the lord, learning how to tune into His Spirit so that our spirit begins to sense the divine nature.
What God desires, what He is looking for is how our spirit relates to Him. This brokenness is not just seeing how we have fallen short of His glory, but it is the beginning of partaking of His glory.
There is no greater joy than having a broken spirit before the Lord, because we can feel His love. This is the opposite of the guilt and shame that our soul feels in its separation from God.
This is the beginning of the fear of the Lord, the beginning of experiencing His mind-To fear the Lord is to shun anything in us that is not like Him. We are not scared of God because His Spirit is flowing into us, we fear acting in independence of His Spirit. We are asking God to cleanse us of the unrighteousness and potential of evil that could enter our heart, if our spirit is not in intimate contact with Him.
If we are going to learn how to walk before the Lord we must have a spirit that pleases him.
It is in the breaking of our spirit, it is in the humbling of our heart, that the Lord is glorified. Then He looks upon us and blesses us.
We do not really learn how to walk in submission to God’s Spirit until there is brokenness in our spirit before the Lord. The mechanical obedience is not enough; it goes much deeper, until out of our spirit the Holy Spirit begins to move and what we walk in is the living works, as the divine nature comes forth in the things that we say and do and the Lord is glorified in it.
The most important ingredient of spirit in a walk with God is a broken spirit, it is as we maintain a broken spirit before the Lord that we are able to work out our soul salvation with fear and trembling, by allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us to desire and do of His good pleasure.
We begin to learn the most in the contriteness of our spirit, because we are looking to the Lord for his perfect will, instead of just living our lives unto self.
In a walk with God natural ability is a hindrance, because we glory in it, instead of glorying in the work of the cross in our lives. Laying our hand upon the ark to settle it is suicidal. We try to help God, and hinder His work. But when we are broken before Him, his love comes through our spirit. We are powerless in ourselves to help others attain spirituality, God must open their eyes and His Spirit must do the work.
We will walk in a phony humility until someone, crosses us and then we will see what comes out, only those with a broken spirit turn the other cheek. We do not react, we are dead to self. Without a broken spirit our soul or ego is still there, when confronted we will fight back or our pride will be so wounded-that self will be hurt, and we will enter into self pity.
It is in our absolute submission to the will of God that God will begin to break our spirit and search our heart. We will begin to submit to what God wants to do in our lives. Only the Spirit of God can produce a broken spirit, as we begin to be totally yielded to His Spirit.