The Man God Looks At

But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

God has just described everything He made — heaven, earth, all of it. Then He says where His attention goes: to this man will I look.

Not the impressive one. Not the well-resourced one. The one who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. Trembling here is not fear of punishment. It is taking God seriously enough to be moved by what He says.

The opposite is not rebellion. It is familiarity. You can read a verse a hundred times and stop hearing it. You can sit under good teaching for years and develop a thick skin — agreeing with everything, changed by nothing. That is the real danger for long-time believers.

Ask for a soft heart, and then test it. Take one clear instruction you have been quietly negotiating with, and simply do it. Trembling is not an emotion; it shows up as obedience.