Humble Yourselves

Have you ever listened to your own prayers to God?  It is important our prayers reflect faith in God's revealed truth in His Word.  Sometimes our prayers do not demonstrate we trust the Bible.  We can beg God to "be with us" when He has promised never to leave or forsake us!  We can also pray for God to do things we are primarily responsible to do.  Through God's Spirit we are enabled respond supernaturally to God's grace and love as His adopted children, even as a flower turns toward the sun.

I was singing along with a familiar worship song which went, "Oh Spirit come make us humble."  It occurred to me it is true that only God can truly humble a man.  This is demonstrated in the scriptures when God humbled His people (Deut. 8:3; 16).  As I sang the words in church, it dawned on me this request for humbling by the Spirit is not a term of phrase found in scripture.  There are many times, however, where men are told to humble themselves.  Man has a responsibility to cooperate with God, to willingly humble himself before God who has freed us from pride and bondage to sin.  The biblical evidence overwhelmingly emphasises the need for man to humble himself before God.  Jesus said in Matthew 23:12, "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  James 4:10 states, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."  1 Peter 5:6-7 reads, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, ⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

We are called to humble ourselves, knowing it is God who enables us to do so by His grace.  If we do not humble ourselves, it is not because God lacks power or ability:  it is that we have refused to submit ourselves to Him in obedience and lowliness of mind.  We begin to walk in humility when we recognise God is awesome, and we are unworthy of God's goodness, love, forgiveness, and grace.  It is not attained through self-loathing or preoccupation with self at all, but a heart set on lifting up the glorious name of God in praise, worship, and obedience.  The LORD said through the prophet 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."  When we humble ourselves before God, He will revive us, draw us to Himself, and lift us up.  Praise the LORD it is He who enables us to do this!