What does it take to gain God’s attention?

Isa. 66:2b tells us this great secret to obtaining the eye of God on us. There are three character attributes that cause the eyes of God to stop their roaming the earth and to rest intently on those who displays such attributes. Humility, Contrition and the Fear of God. This is the person who God shows regard to.

“But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” – Is a. 66:2b

1.  Humbleness
God sees the afflicted.  God looks at the poor, the weak and needy.  It is those who are bowed down, the lowly who are weighed down, depressed in mind or in circumstances that God shows regard for. His eye does not pass them by but stops and rests upon them.

There is much pain and suffering in this world that afflicts us personally. There is much pain and suffering  that afflicts those we love dearly. There is even more pain and suffering that afflicts the world itself, the very environment we live and breathe in. We are a sin infested people living in a sin infested world and culture.If we have ceased to be bothered by it, to be afflicted or pressed down  by the pain and suffering that continually surrounds us then our hearts are indeed callous and hard and this truth alone should afflict our conscience and cry out to God in our neediness and our wretchedness that we could be so careless.

2. Contrition
God looks next for contrition in those who are humbled. He searches their heart for evidence of genuine remorse and sorrow over their personal offenses. It may or may not be what brought us to their current lowly position in circumstance, but regardless they know they are not sinless themselves and are afflicted by a deep remorse over their own personal offenses against others themselves and ultimately against God and over the offenses seen in the world around us of others and of culture.  Affliction  and circumstances may weigh us down but our  hearts are weighed down even more, with the unbearable pain and weight of remorse over sin and it’s deceitfulness and damaging effects.

3. Fear
God’s eye sees his heart and looks deeper still to see what is the cause of its trembling. What is he afraid of? What does he fear? It is our fears that cause our hearts to tremble with remorse and sorrow. Is it a fear of getting caught? Is it a fear of public shame that is causing such anxiety? Is it a fear of losing a loved idol in our lives? God has no regard for these fears and his eye will pass over us in dismay. He would be our Helper, our Saviour and Deliverer in every circumstance but He will not aid sin and the continuance of it in our lives.

When we do not seek to put sin to death, but instead seek to protect it, hide it, and spare it’s life within us we cannot expect God to help us. Jesus came to take away and to deliver us from sin. It is why his eye comes to us now and looks so intently, would we be delivered? Would we be healed? In our absolute wretchedness the answer is not always a quick yes. Instead we weigh the loss of pleasure and satisfaction that our sin satisfies us with while it yet destroys our life and the lives of all those around us. Jesus has came to give us life and to give it to us more abundantly then we have now. Do we believe him? Or do we see him as trying to take our life away from us? Do we see our sin as our source of joy? Our lies as our Protector and Savior? Our idols as our Providers and Deliverers?

God would have us tremble at his word and lift up our broken hearts to him. He would deliver us if we were only but willing to let go of our sin and to fear him instead. When we tremble at his word, then our hearts fear rightly. Our anxiety is righteous and his eye will stay upon us to deliver us, guide us and save us from sin continually.

Here are the questions this verse left me with:

Whose eye am I seeking?Am I  seeking the one who really matters? Am I preparing my heart to gain his attention through cultivating humbleness, contrition and a fear over his word above all fears?

“But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel would not submit to me.
So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
to follow their own counsels.
Oh, that my people would listen to me,
That Israel would walk in my ways!
I would soon subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes.
Those who hate the Lord would cringe toward him,
and their fate would last forever.
But He would feed you with the finest of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
– Psa. 81:11-16