High Living
Isaiah 57:10 You were wearied by all your ways, but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’ You found renewal of your strength, and so you did not faint.
She had become so wearied by what seemed to be failure in every aspect of her life. Just to get up and face another day seemed to be a stretch beyond her ability. While she had dreamed of a peaceful home, fully furnished with at least everything for comfortable living, there was, instead, a continual conflict of some kind, and she would never even consider inviting someone to visit for lack of a decent place to seat them. Somehow, though, in the middle of what seemed to be a never ending struggle without hope of relief or rest, there was something in her that would never give up and just run away. She could never let herself declare the hopelessness of her predicament, because through every challenge and in every setback, there was a continual ray of hope that never failed to shine even in the darkest of days. Though she would have never thought it possible, someone of great distinction and importance had actually chosen her as a friend and her home as a place to hang out.
57:15For this is what the high and lofty One says– he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.
Her car had managed to break down right in the part of town she had always considered to be a fantasyland. Massive estates, with huge gardens, expensive cars, pools, and homes that rose high and just seemed to go on and on, lined the streets. In the yards children were playing happily and peacefully with their parents, and she remembered wondering if maybe she had somehow died and gone to heaven. What kind of people actually lived in a place like this, and would they even give someone like her the time of day? She couldn’t bring herself to even approach one of them, but instead set off walking for help somewhere beyond the mote. She had barely left her car, though, when she heard the voice. She turned around slowly, hardly believing it could be her to whom they were talking. While she felt like she was in another world, there was something about the man calling to her that immediately made her feel a sense of belonging, that, incredibly, she was at home. Instead of the rejection and disdain she had feared, there was a sincere expression of welcome, that she was important enough to leave whatever important business occupying him at the moment and insure her needs were met. Though she had never really had a father, after sharing her predicament with him and hearing his commitment to help her, she felt she had found the one who was everything she’d dreamed of in a father and more.
She had expressed to him her impression of his home and how wonderful it must be to actually live there, to which he responded that she also had within her the capacity and ability to rise from her circumstances and occupy the best. To do so, though, her thinking and approach to life would require adjustments. He committed to her not to just give her a bunch of stuff that would make her appear to have risen, but he let her know that he would come to her home every day, when the family was together for mealtime and become an influence of comfort, peace, inspiration and motivation towards all that was within her potential. His presence in her home would transform conversations from those of defeat and strife to those of possibility and hope. He didn’t care about the furnishings in the least but insisted on showing up with a smile and helping hand to not be put off in the least by the state of her household, but to impart everything he could to help her rise in her belief in herself. For him to do this, to leave this incredible mansion and come spend time with her and her family in her own home was beyond comprehension. And yet, he had kept his promise, showing up every day at mealtime and even hanging out throughout the day to just smile, encourage and let the spirit that enabled his greatness touch her with its transforming power. With him around, how could she ever give in and declare anything to be ‘hopeless’?
We have someone who has left an incredibly awesome high and holy place in which He lives to come and be with us in whatever condition we may find ourselves. He is committed to mealtimes, and as much of the day as we’ll give Him access, to come and be with us in our home, to transform conversations, bring His greatness to our way of thinking and lift us up to also be a person that lives in the realm of possibility where nothing is impossible through the power He imparts. More significant and long-lasting than just dumping provisions on us, He wants to give us a much more valuable treasure in the overcoming nature only His presence can provide.
