Would you agree that most people would rather take the shorter route to their destination? Or perhaps the fastest route would be better? To say the least, we are a destination focused society. Think of these examples. On vacation, you are heading somewhere. When reading a book, your destination is the ending of the story. When in school, you are working toward a degree or certification. Whatever the destination is, there is a journey to get there.
What if the journey is more important than the destination? Are we spending too much time focused on outcome that we miss the beauty of the steps to get there? Think of all the people who want to be famous and receive recognition and honor. That is the destination they seek. Verse 33 would say, “Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor.” We must humble ourselves first. If our “destination” is fame and glory, we need to first step back, humble ourselves, and prepare our hearts for the honor. We need not discount the beautiful journey we will take to get there and be more focused on serving and blessing others.
That doesn’t sound like a short cut, does it? But it does make sense. God doesn’t want to reward someone who is boastful and full of themselves. God is looking to give honor to those who are faithful, who are humble, who have wisdom gained from the teaching we receive when we fear the Lord.
To humble ourselves is a prerequisite for all the honor and blessings the Lord intends for us. When we humble ourselves, we are preparing ourselves for what God has in store for us. I believe the idea here is if we are not humbled and bowed down, we are not ready to submit and accept God’s will for our lives.
How do we humble ourselves before God? We can start by learning to fear him. This can be anything from simple respect to a trembling reverence. It’s not the same as the fear we would have if we encountered a hungry lion on our walking path. We need only reflect on all the mighty works God has done. Yet, we shouldn’t discount our response to God because we cannot see him. It would be easy to procrastinate and think we have time. Everything is fine. God loves me.
It’s true. God does love us. But how much richer that love can be when we fear him and humble ourselves before him. It’s like we are signaling to God we are finally ready for his assignment. We have emptied ourselves of all our limiting beliefs and “garbage” so that we are open to receiving God’s truth and direction. Those gifts aren’t going to come as easily if we are all closed up and not humbled before him ready to submit.
Take some time today to evaluate your level of humility. Are you ready to receive from God what he has prepared for you?
Let’s pray … Lord, forgive me when I try to do things on my own. I know we are so much better together. Humble my heart. Help me to recognize all the beauty around me and all the gifts you have given me. Humble my heart. May I be more focused on you and your grace rather than my own accomplishment. May I be open to receive you and let you work through me. Humble my heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
