Week 15
High and Lifted Up
Isaiah 57:15–19
“Thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy.”
Isaiah 57:15–19 (NKJV)
Isaiah stretches language upward: high, lofty, inhabiting eternity, named Holy. God does not occupy the highest point within creation; He transcends every scale by which creatures compare greatness.
Yet the same verse turns toward the lowly. The transcendent One dwells with the contrite and humble spirit. No distance is greater than His holiness, and no nearness more tender than His reviving presence.
Contrition is not self-hatred. It is the collapse of pretense before God—the heart no longer defending sin or demanding that reality orbit the self.
God revives that heart. Holiness does not approach the humble merely to expose; it gives life, restores courage, and makes communion possible.
The Lord will not contend forever. He knows the spirits He created would fail before unending wrath. Judgment is real, yet His purpose moves toward healing and peace.
God sees the covetous ways of His people and still promises to heal, lead, restore comfort, and create praise. Grace comes with open eyes.
Christ embodies this astounding movement: the One above all came low, dwelt among the broken, bore wrath, and announced peace to those far and near.
Lift your thoughts of God higher, then bring your heart lower. You will discover that humility is not the edge of His presence but the dwelling He promises to revive.
In Conversation with A. W. Tozer
Tozer’s teaching on transcendence resists every attempt to place God on a continuum with created greatness. He is infinitely above all categories that measure us.
Isaiah adds the pastoral wonder: the One who inhabits eternity chooses to dwell with the contrite. Divine majesty and restoring nearness are not opposites in God.
A Prayer
Holy God,
High and Holy One, lift my thoughts beyond every small and manageable image of You.
Break my pride without crushing hope. Make me contrite, truthful, and ready to receive the life only You can give.
Thank You for drawing near in Christ to heal, lead, comfort, and speak peace. Revive my spirit in Your holy presence. Amen.
Dwell This Week with God
Awaken to His presence.
Return often to Isaiah 57:15–19. Read without hurry, and allow the truth of who God is to become larger than every lesser concern.