Greetings in Christ,
Why do we need to be reminded about being humble in our approach to life, and the decisions we make? Do we get to a point in our lives we forget just how much we should depend on God, or do we feel like we make all the decisions and deserve what we work to achieve in our lives? Do we really take the time to fully consider how much God does bless us with the right directions and the resources we enjoy? The scripture readings lean towards the reminder of just humble we should be.
In Joshua, God calls Joshua to make knives out of flint in order to circumcise the men of Israel. They have just inhabited the promised land, and they have overcome the people who inhabited it, and now God calls for the men of Israel to be circumcised. As the scripture reads, the men were compliant to the call, and as a result this obedience a time of rest was needed for their healing.
All of this is contrary after going to battle with the enemy. You would think the men of Israel would be on alert for retaliation from the previous inhabitants to reclaim their land, but fear had gripped the previous land owners and they knew they could not overcome the Israelites because of what they witnessed and heard. They heard of the drying of the Jordan so the people of Israel could cross the river into the promised land. This very act put the fear of God into the previous inhabitant’s hearts which gave the circumcised men of Israel a break so they could heal. The men of Israel humbled themselves before God so they could be obedient to His call. They trusted God to have their best interest at heart, and they were not anxious about anything.
Peter calls to the people to humble themselves, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.”
Peter is calling the people to be under God’s mighty hand which is the symbol of discipline and deliverance. Peter is calling to the people to remember God has the control in all situations, and He will discipline and deliver them so His glory will be revealed, but calling them to cast their cares on God who really does care for them.
Peter is trying to remind the people living a godly life here on earth will have its difficulties, and those difficulties must be submitted to God prayerfully and within the guidelines Jesus had established about being anxious.
Peter was trying to establish with the people it was through the humbleness to believe God did have control and cared for them, they would be victorious over the evil of the world, and they would someday see the results of their obedience. “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”
Matthew records the words of Jesus as He calls for people to build on the rock foundation. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.”
Jesus was calling the people to humble themselves to Him and to His word despite their feelings or thoughts on His direction. They must trust Him at His word because it was better than the alternative. It was a different way of thinking for them, and it was going to take some readjustment on their part to accept Jesus at His words.
We have our own ideas and thoughts on the directions we are given and make judgments on the basis of information we have. We sometimes make those judgments, and at times those judgments may not have all the information for us to correctly make decisions. We forget the directions came from someone who has more information, more experience, or more authority than we do. We spend more time fussing over those directions than what it takes to simply do what has been asked of us to do. We must trust the One who gives the directions, and He is making the best choice for us.
God calls us to follow Him with humbleness. We must take into consideration God has more information, more experience, and more authority than we do. God has the ultimate control in all things, and He has our interest in mind when He asks us to follow His directions. We have to remind ourselves it is not about us, but about bringing glory to God. God wants us to give Him praise for all things He does for us. God really does want to bless us with His wisdom and His resources.
“Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise Thee.” Psalms 63:3
“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.” Psalms 98:4
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.” Psalms 103:8
Lord help us to humble ourselves before You so we may bring You glory in all we do. Amen
Blessings,
Mark Johnson
Psalm 63, 98, 103; Joshua 4:19-24, 5:1-9; 1 Peter 5:1-11; Matthew 7:15-29