But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
– Isaiah 66:2
Wow, what a verse from God speaking to his people, saying, “This is the one to whom I will look,” that should cause us all to perk up. Okay, who is God looking to? Where are God’s eyes? Who is God looking to bless, to provide for, protect, to help? And the answer is, “He who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”
Isaiah 66:2 teaches us that God looks to those who look to him.
What a description, “Humble and contrite in spirit”, which makes sense. God looks to the one who’s looking to him. God looks to the one who’s looking to him, who’s humbly bowing before him, saying, “I need your help. I need your protection. God, I need your provision. I need all that you alone can give me”.
This is humility, contrition of spirit before God, acknowledging all day long I need you, God. And “trembles at my word”, which necessitates obviously listening to his Word, meditating on his Word and revering it, trembling at his Word, not treating his Word lightly or casually, just kind of being content with a little word from God for the day, or letting God’s Word go in one ear and out the other and just kind of moving on with your life. But no stopping to tremble at his Word, to fear God and his Word in a way that leads to worship and awe and obedience, humble obedience.
So can I just pray these things over us today? God, we look to you right now in prayer, and we pray that by your grace, your mercy, your eyes would turn toward us. We need you. God, we humbly with contrition, confess our need for you. We need your grace to cover our sins, your grace to keep us from sin, to keep us from wandering. We need your grace for every single good thing we desire. No good thing we have apart from you. We confess our desperate need for you, for your help all day long. Your provision, your protection, your wisdom, your comfort, your peace, your strength. Oh, God, all these things that you graciously promise to provide to us.
Isaiah 66:2 encourages us to humble ourselves before God.
As we look to you, we pray that your eyes would look toward us and provide all of these things according to your Word. And God, we pray that you would help us to tremble at your Word. We pray that we would meditate on your Word today, tonight, all day long. Psalm 119:97, “I love your law”. It’s our meditation all day. God, even this word that we’re praying right now, we pray that we would soak into our minds and hearts all day long.
“He who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word”. God, we pray that this description would mark us today and tomorrow, every day of our lives. God, help us to live with humility and contrition of spirit, with trembling at your Word and in the process to walk with you, our eyes on you, your eyes on us, to experience communion with you all day long according to your Word in Isaiah 66:2.
Prayer for the Mandar People
And God, we pray specifically today for people who don’t have your Word to tremble at. Who don’t have your Word to save them from their sins, to draw them into relationship with you. God, we pray for the spread of your words, specifically today, to the Mandar people of Indonesia. God, for half a million men, women, and children in this Muslim people group, the Mandar, God, please may they be reached with your Word.
Please bless all of our Indonesian brothers and sisters. For the spread of the gospel to unreached people groups there. For missionaries who have gone out from different parts of Indonesia. Or different parts of Southeast Asia, or different parts of the world, to spread the gospel to the Mandar. Please give them success. God, look upon them with favor. We pray for the spread of your Word through them. Lord, we pray all this according to your Word. We pray you would teach us to tremble at your Word. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
