At this time of year, Christians must do some soul searching, taking a deep look at themselves and examining their nature before taking advantage of the privilege of observing the Passover. For some, this examination may not be pleasant, causing them to ask: "Have I really overcome anything this year? Have I grown in the knowledge of the One who sacrificed Himself for me? Am I keeping the Passover worthily, with deep reverence for the One who commanded, ‘Do this in remembrance of Me'?" Some of these questions can be difficult to answer.

A minister once commented that a mutual acquaintance always looked busy but seemed to be just spinning his wheels. He was constantly moving but getting nowhere! It is reminiscent of driving in the river swamp in South Georgia. Driving on river mud is much like driving on ice: It is very slick, even presenting a challenge for the best four-wheel-drive vehicles. Many of them become stuck in the mud, spinning their wheels. Looking at ourselves over the past year, we may feel we have been diligent in improving our character but see no evidence of it. Have we just spun our wheels all year?

The last few years have been among the most unsettling in our lives. How have we handled the turmoil? Have we drawn closer to God or looked to human leaders to find solutions? Have we focused on improving our spiritual lives amidst the chaos, or have we regressed? These times have affected us whether we acknowledge it or not. They have brought division in the church—even over wearing or not wearing masks!

In a time when self-centeredness is running amok, we must examine ourselves to determine if we are more like God. We must humble ourselves with some haste, for the return of Christ is near! How much more time do we have for self-examination and repentance?

The book of Zephaniah instructs God's people on what they can do to avoid being caught in the Day of the Lord. In Zephaniah 2:1-3, the prophet describes what God looks for in His people to escape His wrath. In verses 1-2, God urges them to "gather yourselves together . . . before the day of the LORD's anger comes upon you!" Then, in verse 3 from The Amplified Bible:

Seek the LORD [search diligently for Him and regard Him as the foremost necessity of your life], all you humble of the land who have practiced His ordinances and have kept His commandments; seek righteousness, seek humility [regard them as vital]. Perhaps you will be hidden [and pardoned and rescued] in the day of the LORD's anger.

In the three "seeks," we find the keys to avoiding the coming worldwide troubles: Seek the Lord, seek righteousness, seek humility. If we diligently do them, we will please God, but they do not guarantee a cakewalk life. Notice that they also do not ensure an escape from the Day of the Lord: "Perhaps you will be hidden . . ." (emphasis ours). God may have another purpose for us.

Isaiah 66:2 contains a similar attribute that pleases God: "But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word." God looks graciously on a contrite person. To be contrite is to be sincerely sorry, regretful, remorseful, or penitent, especially for one's actions.

The Hebrew word translated "contrite" (nākeh; Strong's #5783, "lame, crippled; smitten, broken; contrite") appears only three other times in the Bible, though its sense is prevalent. Like meekness and broken in spirit to which it is connected, contrition can lead to humility if the contrite person has been bruised or crushed in such a way to produce it. Some, sadly, suffer brokenness and become hardened and bitter to the point of blaming God.

What does God see in the contrite? What does He want to see broken in us? Our pride—a difficult matter to address, especially since we often fail to see it in ourselves!

The Bible contains many examples of contrition. Saul's example is a tragic one. His story begins in I Samuel 9 and continues over the rest of the book, but one verse, I Samuel 15:17, tells the tale in a few words. "So Samuel said [to Saul, who had just disobeyed God], ‘When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel?'" When chosen to be king, Saul was amazed, saying, "How can this be? I'm from the smallest family in the smallest tribe of Israel!" Even on the day Samuel would anoint him as king before all Israel, Saul was found hiding among the supplies! He began as a humble and contrite king, but he would later turn bitter, leading him from God. He even consulted a witch! His pride crept in and grew until it was too late.

Saul's successor, David, also has a story of contrition. As a shepherd humbly tending his father's sheep, when the occasion arose for him to stand in faith for God, he slew Goliath with a stone from his sling! Unlike Saul, there was no hiding in the pantry for David!

Yet, at the height of his reign, he followed Eve's example and took what pleased his eyes, blinding himself to his sins. Throughout the sordid fiasco, he may have broken all ten of God's commandments. Even after God sent Nathan to tell him what he had done, David failed to see the depth of his sin until the prophet said, "You are the man!" (II Samuel 12:7).

He then asks the king, "Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD?" (II Samuel 12:9). When we sin, we despise God's law in our pride. In his heart, David knew he had done wrong, or he would not have tried so hard to cover it up. Yet, his proud human nature justified his behavior with Bathsheba, essentially absolving himself and showing contempt for the law.

Saul and David both sinned. However, when confronted, Saul continued to justify his actions, but David was crushed. He knew that God had given him everything and would have given him more, but the lust of the eyes and the pride of life blinded David to the point that he forgot God. This realization completely broke David. He repented thoroughly (see Psalm 51), and God forgave him. Even so, he, his family, and Israel paid dearly for his sin. Nathan foretells the tragic results of David's sin in II Samuel 12:10: "Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife." God's pronouncement still affects David's lineage today.

Referring to the Suffering Servant, Jesus Christ, Isaiah 53:10 uses a word similar to nākeh, dākāʾ, here translated as "bruise": "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief." The word literally means "to crush." Why did it please God to crush His Son? To be sure, He was not crushed for any sin of His own but because of the crushing weight of our sins. The rest of the verse provides the answer: "When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed." God desires righteous offspring, and only through the crushing sacrifice of His Son to pay for our sins could His seed—you and me—have a relationship with Him.

God says in Isaiah 57:15:

For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

The Most High God, the eternal, holy God, dwells with the contrite and humble! He looks forward so much to the time His humble and contrite children will live with Him throughout eternity that He speaks of it in the present tense. Do we wholeheartedly desire that future too? If so, as this world's dominion draws to a close, we need to stop spinning our wheels and seriously examine ourselves with the aim of becoming contrite of heart.