Contrite

Woman: Why does the pastor use big words I don’t understand? He kept talking about being 'contrite.'

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: What does it mean to be contrite? We have a great picture in the life of the Lord Jesus Himself.

First, though, consider Isaiah 57, where God says, “I dwell . . . with him who has a contrite and humble spirit” (v. 15). That word "contrite" means "to be crushed or broken in pieces.”

Just a few chapters earlier, Isaiah uses a variation on that same word when he prophesies about Jesus. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised [or crushed—that’s the word contrite] for our iniquities” (53:5).

Jesus was contrite—crushed at the cross—so that resurrection life could be released through Him to others. God says He will draw near to us when we have a broken, contrite heart, like that of Jesus.

With Seeking Him, I'm Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth.