When Humility Bows

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:10 

Honestly, this verse pushes up against my comfort and flesh every time I read it.  I don’t know anyone who really signs up fully for humility (well maybe my grandmother).  Sometimes humility means to me, ‘I lost!’ It boasts that my will was not done and now I must sit in the fragments of my failure.  But all of the words I just typed are proof that what James instructs is exactly what I need and what we all need.  Without humility we develop a sense of entitlement …without humility we nurse our hurts…without humility we cannot be lifted up by God.  

 

Humility is one of the greatest weapons against bitterness because ‘bitterness always intensifies our reactions, skew our perspective, and take us further away from peace.’ Seeing Beautiful Again, Lysa TerKeurst, p. 212.  I truly believe all we ultimately want is peace…peace in our decisions…peace in our relationships…peace in our souls.  So, if it takes us bowing down to the ultimate Peacemaker to be lifted up by Him, why don’t we?  We cannot be lifted up until we have truly bowed down.

 

‘Humanity rises up and demands that I be declared the right one.  Humility bows low and realizes that only God has what I really want.  Turning my heart to bitterness is me turning away from God.  So, I bow low, not because I want to.  Because I need to.’ p. 213. Humility realizes that we are all in our unique stages of our spiritual process and assigns grace.  

 

Peace is imparted when we empty ourselves of unsettled emotions.  Peace is the overflowing fruit from a heart of humility devoted to God.  What a beautiful and liberating prayer Lysa leaves us with this morning.  

 

‘God, I give this situation to You…I release my need for this to feel fair.  I release my need for You to declare me right and them wrong.  I want to embrace what You may be teaching me through this situation.  Give me Your peace in place of my emotions.  In Jesus’ name, amen.’ p. 215