While I was sitting in a quiet space, spending time with Father God, I was thinking about ways to offer praise. So I asked him, “Would you teach me Father, how to give you the highest praise?” As I sat quietly, listening for his response, I heard him say to my spirit-
Highest Praise comes from a broken and contrite heart, fully surrendered to me and realizing that apart from me you can do nothing. It is a heart overflowing with love and adoration, not seeking its own way. A heart shining brightly with my radiance and glory. Our hearts beating as one.
I recognized the phrase “broken and contrite heart” from a Psalm. So I looked up the verse that contains that phrase and it is found in Psalm 51:17. This passage of scripture is written by David after the prophet Nathan came to him to confront his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. David starts this Psalm by saying, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.” In verse 10 he goes on to say, “Create in me a pure heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” As he pours out his heart before God in openness and honesty, he recenters his spirit and soul to a close and connected place, relationally with God. When we are making choices in our lives that do not line up with God’s heart for us, shame and guilt have a way of causing us to pull away from God. We hide from God just like Adam and Eve did after the fall, because the enemy promotes the lie that God would not want to see or hear us in that place of transgression. Father God really wants us to come to the same conclusion that the Spirit brought David to when he says in verse 17:
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
After hearing God describe that highest praise comes from a broken and contrite heart, I wanted to dig deeper into the meaning of having a “contrite” heart. In Hebrew, a contrite heart (often paired with a “broken spirit”) signifies deep humility, sincere remorse for sin, and a genuine dependence on God’s mercy. It implies a state of being broken down with sorrow for sin and a thorough repentance, akin to being “crushed” or “bruised”. This concept is central to the idea of repentance and reconciliation with God. The Hebrew words used to describe a contrite heart, like “dakka”, mean “crushed”, “broken,” or “bruised”. This emphasizes a humbling of one’s natural pride and self- sufficiency. This is what brings us into complete unity with the heart of God, when we lay down our lives in full surrender to God. We can be certain, despite what the enemy would want us to believe, that he receives us fully in love. This is the sacrifice that Father God desires, and it resonates in his heart as the highest praise. We can serve him with our lips, and we can serve him with actions, but when we release every part of our heart to him in full surrender, then we can experience the union and intimate relationship that Jesus made possible to us by his own sacrifice.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
(Isaiah 53:5)
About a week later, I caught a glimpse of what a “heart shining brightly with my radiance and glory” might look like. Again, I was seeking to be in union with God from the place of highest praise as I was surrendering my whole heart. I began feeling a resonating flow of God’s presence in me and around me. Then I saw in the spirit the glory of the 7 Spirits of God as described in the book of Revelation 4 where the lamps are before the throne of God. Then I saw myself and others as those lamps on earth carrying God’s glory. The glory flowing through us flooded the earth with the beautiful colors of the rainbow. Being the light of the world, begins with a humble heart fully surrendered in love to God in highest praise.
Steps in Pursuit
- I have a dear friend who recently shared, “Repentance is one of the greatest gifts that God has given us.” I have witnessed in my own life and as I minister to others, how quickly the act of repentance realigns us to the heart of God in healing. I encourage you to spend some time releasing to God through repentance, those things that have been keeping you distant in your relationship with God.
- Having communion is a wonderful way to find union with Christ in having a broken and contrite heart. Use Isaiah 53:5 as a prayer of healing and praise.
- As you surrender your heart in love to God, ask him to fill you up with his radiant glory. I would encourage you to declare it out loud, “As I surrender my whole heart to God, I am being filled with his radiant glory as the light of the world.”
The world is covered with a lot of darkness and desperately needs to see the love and light of God flowing in, through and around us.
Arise, and shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. (Isaiah 60:1-2)
Let’s give God the highest praise as we…
Continue the Pursuit,
Denise
