August 26, 2022

James 4: 10 (NIV)

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

God, who must stoop to view the skies and bow to see what angels do, looks to the lowly and contrite, and makes them great.*

The thing about humbling yourself before the Lord is that you can’t fake it. People can be fooled by our outward appearance. Some people are good actors while others are gullible - and they make a good team. But acting humble (or should that be “acting humbly”?) will not trick God into lifting you up.

What does humbling yourself before the Lord look like? It might look like repentance or obedience but it also might not look like anything. Many of us have mastered the art of humble actions but still struggle with inner rebellion. True humility is a heart attitude. Your process will differ from mine because it is a personal encounter with God.

What does “lifting you up” look like? Just as humbling yourself is a personal experience between you and God, lifting you up may very well have no outward signs either. We should not assume that after we have reached the optimum level of humility, we will then be carried across the field on the shoulders of our team members. We may have to wait for our final reward, but I believe that God honors our humility in an immediate fashion by lifting us up to himself. That is not something that can be detected by another human.

I read somewhere that you can’t go up one hill (be lifted up) until you’ve gone down the one you’re on (humble yourself). It’s ironic that going down the hill is much harder than going up. 

It is the paradox of religion that Jehovah’s holiness, which places Him at an infinite distance from human pride and greatness, brings Him near to the humble in spirit.*