HUMBLE YOURSELVES. 1st Peter 5:6-7 Humbling ourselves, in the sense of being "clothed," demands submission and obedience. Trying to humble someone else ends up humiliating them. Among the people of God in an assembly, the right attitude is the opposite of self-serving. Humility toward others includes humility toward God. He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. That principle was not new to those who read the book of Proverbs and perhaps had heard the letter from James. Our position and status are not something to worry about. God's recognition is what counts, and in His own time, either now or in the future, He will lift us up. God's timing and His blessing go together. He expects us to recognize His care, our own need, and His ability to meet that need. That means we let Him take our worry, stress, and struggles and deal with them in His own way. We need to submit to Him who controls circumstances rather than to the circumstances themselves. Assemblies of God's people have been placed by the Lord so that we can help one another and, when needed, can "bear one another's burdens." God is faithful in His care for us and uses whatever means are necessary to handle our worries according to His will, not ours.
Humbling ourselves doesn’t happen by accident; it happens by choice. When I sense pride rising, I hear God’s voice telling me the solution before His hand comes down hard. His presence is firmly applied, and in grace, He begins to do what is needed so that I may pay close attention, make changes on my own, and avoid the contention that accompanies pride, which leads to serious downfall. What had such great potential is rendered ineffective. A unified group of people who respect one another, knowing that though we’re different, we all have the same Father, who under His mighty hand can bring each one to his knees, where, face down in the dirt, we finally listen to what He says. It didn’t have to be hard; it began with a choice to make. Before us, the wise, humble person will take the way that opens. There, they will find sweet fellowship among the saints of God, where God can also use you to tell of His love to all the world. When such times come, the humbled person prays, and God is there to answer as He listens to what he says. Because of living faith and evidence of real grace, God lifts that person up, placing them in a special place to fulfill some service God has given them to do as he must. And God uses the one He knows He can really trust. One who has humbled himself and confessed his weakness, by lifting up God’s hand, through humility, others are blessed.
“Pride is an awful thing, and yet it seems to raise its ugly head in unseemly ways. I certainly have nothing to be proud of, yet I tend to take credit for things so that other people will think more highly of me. I think I can feel the pressure of God’s mighty hand even now – and I thank Him for it.
Erect posture; shoulders back; head held high; eyes that look around to see if others are watching. Every hair in place; no wrinkles to be found; self-conscious checking on how others may perceive. Time spent in front of self-reflection; views from without; from left to right and back again. A walk self-conscious with every step considered; an image seeking to be impressed upon the minds of others – lack of humility.
And then... From above, the pressure is applied with a steady force, firmly placed upon proud shoulders. A hand that cannot be denied, and yet without hurt or pain unless resisted. A father-like pressure making a change in self-image, self-consciousness, self-reliance, self-love: So unmistakable because of the sense of divine love in the fingers and palm that moves against the rising of self. The hand is redirecting, refocusing, refusing to allow independence from the spiritual family life I have. That hand does not slap nor curl into a rock-like fist, but there is no doubt that it is controlling me. That mighty hand holds the world and keeps all the movements of time and space in order lest catastrophe fall. That hand holds each breath in it and allows each needed one to keep this frail mortal man alive. His finger carved out the divine will in hard resisting rock, and let it be seen lest any or all of us think things are out of control. The mighty hand of God leaves no doubt as to the degree of His interest and concern in the one He loves.
I have a choice… Yield and gladly accept the divine intervention that keeps me from sin, or resist – and lose. Bow in humility and contrition at the first sense of pressure placed on this arrogant head; or struggle – and fail. Willingly bow my knees and heart at the first signal of His hand directing me into a different path, or try to turn – and fall. Get used to the prostrate position and the worn knees on my pants; then, when perhaps least expected, that hand goes under the arm and lifts, until I am in the upright position of submission to His direction alone.
It is there, with all the symptoms and visible signs. The furrowed brow, sad eyes, the bowed head, the deep sighs. The shoulders are slumped; obviously, the load is heavy. Few words are spoken; sometimes there are none. There is a weighty care – the anxiety is real. Something is eating at the heart, the very way we feel. There is more here to deal with than one alone is able. What to do when we’re not capable of solving it.
The solution is plain when in deep pain or suffering. One needs help from another who knows the abyss you’re in. Of all those you know who are friends all around you, there really is only One who knows all you are going through, who is able and willing to personally shoulder your burden, and to comfort your heart and deal with all you are feeling. For He has been there and knows what it is like not to have someone else move to lighten the burden.
The weight of the cross He bore when falsely condemned. The sins of all the world were borne solely by Him. He knew what it was like to be abandoned by brothers. He experienced watching people he helped leave one after another. As a man, He experienced all you will ever go through, and so He wants to ease the cares that press upon you. He is omnipotent, able to assume your full load. As the omnipresent God, He’s able to deal with more than you’ll know.