Isa 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.
Humility is total surrender and dependence upon God. God created all things by His will and reveals Himself, His goodness, His Love and His wisdom in and through creation. He created us to be partakers, to partner with Him to see Heaven invade earth. Right from the Garden of Eden, God gave humankind purpose, and showed this truth when He brought all the animals He had created to Adam to name. Mankind is to work with the Almighty God in maintaining, nurturing and tending to the work of His hands.
Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Php 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
God intended mankind to be dependent upon Him, as He upholds all by the Word of His Power and He ordered systems to continue to produce and maintain life. We only need to look and see how small we are in a storm to get a right perspective of this Almighty God who set this all in place. This total dependency upon God is the virtue of humility. It is the virtue that knows that it is in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28) and outside of that we are the most miserable of creatures.
Pride is the root of sin and evil and is what caused satan and his hordes to be thrown out of heaven. When we try to exalt ourselves above God, even as Eve was deceived and desired to be like God, we find ourselves in disobedience and thrown outside of the Presence of God. James teaches us that
"GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." It is the humble person God can trust with His power and glory, as He will not share His Glory with another.
Jesus Christ humbled Himself by coming in the likeness of flesh, leaving the Glory of Heaven, where He was revered by angels, to be planted in the dark virgin womb of a young maidservant. He further humbled Himself to be obedient to death on the cross where He became a curse for us and was made sin to redeem a wicked people. Being equal with God, He never pushed His own agenda but only did the work the Father gave Him to accomplish and brought glory to God alone. He took on a servant's garb to serve "especially wicked sinners" as His Grace and Mercy loved them to wholeness.
Without humility, we cannot fully abide in God's presence or experience His favour and power. We are only the branches who must receive life and sustenance from the Vine. Apart from God, we can do nothing. He is the Potter and we are the clay and in humility we bow before Him, allowing Him to shape us, mould us and change us. A truly humble person will allow the Divine Hand to bring discipline to shape us from one degree of glory to another as we work with the Holy Spirit to deny the flesh and take up our cross and become light to a needy world. The humble stance says, "God I know you know me better than I know myself and I trust you in all circumstances."
The Israelites wandered around in the wilderness for 40 years, not able to trust that God knew better as He tried to humble them to test them, "to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not." (Deut 8:2) God already knew what was in their hearts but we sometimes need His discipline in circumstances to show us what we have in our hearts so we can cry out for His help and surrender those things not pleasing to Him. God went on to tell them that He tested them to "do you good in the end." (Deut 8:16)
Humility becomes fallen creatures and it is those who are humbled who receive and experience salvation. Understanding that we need a Saviour softens our heart to bow and cry out from the depths of our being, Jesus I need you, and this is the posture we need to keep for the rest of our walk with God.
Psa 149:4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.
Isn't that a beautiful word picture! He beautifies the humble with salvation. This word salvation means deliverance; aid, victory, prosperity: - health and help.
We are promised by James 4:10 to "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." This means "elevate and exalt". What an incredible thing that God, our Heavenly Father, the Creator of the Universe, does to those who are truly humble by the Cross as He seats us in heavenly places with Jesus Christ His Son.
God will move on behalf of the humble heart who cries out even as He promised,
"if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2Ch 7:14).
Did you catch that?! God hears, God forgives and God heals. He works on behalf of the humble and restores not only them but those amongst whom they live.
Let us walk in humility before God and man, knowing that each and every one of us has a place in the Kingdom to do the works preordained by the Father in bringing His light and salt to the earth.
For it is the humble with whom He teaches His ways. (Ps 25:9)
Let me leave you with this warning and promise.
Pro 29:23 A man's pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honour.
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