The Pathway to Humility

The Pathway to Humility
LYSA TERKEURST

“He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” Deuteronomy 8:3 (NIV)

A friend of mine who’s a young leader recently confessed to me some discouragement he’d been wrestling through. He’d been working so hard and seen great success, but his leaders gave him no recognition or encouragement. And hardest of all, due to some transitions in the company, he’d been demoted to a lower position.

I asked him a seemingly strange question after he poured out his heart to me: “Do you know what the opposite of pride is?”

He tilted his head and asked, “Do you think I’m struggling with pride?”

I wasn’t trying to imply my young friend was prideful. I was setting the stage to help him see his circumstances through a different lens.

So I simply stated, “I believe the opposite of pride is trust in God. Pride begs us to believe it all depends on us. Trusting God requires us to place our dependence on Him. And the pathway that leads us away from pride and into a place of truly trusting God is paved with humility. Humility is never bought at a cheap price. It will always cost us something but will be worth the price we pay.

“Might God be using these humbling circumstances to get you to a place of deep and unshakable trust in Him? If God sees big things ahead for you, and I believe He does, then He must remove all hints of pride. Even if pride is but a tiny thorn in your heart now, when you’re given a bigger position with more recognition, that pride grows from a thorn to a dagger with the potential to kill your calling.”

In the Old Testament, we see God revealing this same kind of pride-stripping process by feeding the children of Israel manna in the desert for the purpose of humbling them. It was crucial that God prepare them to trust Him as they stepped from the desert into their destined Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 8:2 says, “Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands” (NIV).

And then our key verse, Deuteronomy 8:3, goes on to reveal, “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

So why exactly was having to eat manna so humbling? And what can we glean from Deuteronomy 8:3 for our own lives today?

Here are three things we can take away from today’s key verse:

1. God is our provider.

The children of Israel were used to looking down at the ground in Egypt and working the land to provide for themselves. They trusted their own hard work for their provision. Now, they’d need to look up and trust God for His provision.

2. God’s provision is what we need but not always what we want.

This manna God provided wasn’t like the normal food the Israelites were used to providing for themselves. But God knew it was perfect nourishment for those in the desert. He knows our needs better than we do. God is more concerned about our ultimate good than our temporary pleasure.

3. God’s provision protects our heart. Our desires have the potential of corrupting our heart.

Man-made bread is not what gives the fullness of life God desires for us. Man-made success, riches and popularity are the same way. They won’t fulfill us like we think they will. Only the Word of God can seep into the hungry places of our souls and make what’s dead and discouraged become fully alive and deeply satisfied. We must want Him most of all. And then He’ll see our hearts are prepared and trustworthy to handle other things.

At the end of our discussion, my young friend thanked me for helping him see that in each hard step of his journey as a leader, he’s either walking the pathway of pride, by trusting himself, OR the pathway of humility, by trusting God. And the same is true for each of us.

May we all choose to trust Him and let that be the lens through which we process our circumstances. May we see how God isn’t trying to break our hearts but rather make us ready for what He sees just ahead.

Lord, thank You for always having my best in mind. Search my heart for any shred of pride, and help me live a life of humble and complete surrender to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
James 4:6, “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’” (NIV)

Humility at the Table of Grace

Humility at the Table of Grace
by Susie Larson

When I was a fairly new Christian, I got involved in a young-adults group at my local church. I didn’t comfortably know my way around the church building, church politics, or even church lingo for that matter, and though my heart felt drawn to and at home among Christians, my soul felt unsure and out of place at times. I’d watch the worship team on stage and marvel at how comfortable they were with the spotlight and with the lyrics. I imagined they were some of God’s favorites because they were so good at what they did and they seemed so established in their faith.

I, on the other hand, still had rough edges around my personality. I learned quickly that the playground in elementary school isn’t the only place where social hierarchy exists.

Feeling insecure and out of place on a regular basis, I sometimes lingered in the back rows when our large Sunday school class gathered each week. One day in the back row, I met a man who was a tad older than the rest of us. He was humble, gentle and reverent when it came to the things of God.

More than once, while leaning forward to take notes on what our speaker had to say that day, I heard a soft mumble coming from my friend beside me. I’d look over and find him with his head bowed, hands folded, and praying under his breath. Then he’d look up, listen for a bit, and then pray some more.

He wasn’t well-known in the group. And he was quite easy to miss. But whenever I asked him questions, he smiled at me sweetly, like he enjoyed and appreciated my hunger to learn. He never made me feel inferior or substandard as a Christian. And his insights always compelled me to look up.

Once, during the busy time before service when the more visible leaders in our group were bustling about with mic checks and worship practice, God turned my heart to my praying friend. Hidden in the shadows of the chapel with his Bible in his lap and his hands open to heaven, he reverently bowed his head. I knew he was praying for every soul in the room, that we’d all encounter God, and leave the sanctuary that evening with hearts more filled with love of Him than when we had taken our places in the pews. I felt a new and holy fear of God settle into my soul.

In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus tells the story of two men who stood in the synagogue to pray. One was well-esteemed in the community, a leader of the faith. His prayers were lofty, elegant, and offered for all to hear. The other was a poor sinner, who stood in the shadows and prayed simply, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Jesus shocked his listeners by telling them that of the two men, it was the sinner in the shadows who left the synagogue at peace with God. Why? Because his prayer was offered in humility.

The point is, we must never stop relying on God’s goodness. He is the One who paid for our place at the table of grace. It is only in humility that we are able to partake of the feast.

A Prayer to Help You Know God’s Delight in You

A Prayer to Help You Know God’s Delight in You
By: Jennifer O. White

He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me - Psalm 18:19

Jesus is known as Emmanuel, meaning God is with us. He has chosen to dwell with us because He is delighted with us. He is also our Wonderful Counselor: our ever-present fountain of God’s wisdom. He is God’s wise Word delivered to us in human form long ago and now present with us by His Holy Spirit.

Are you delighted with yourself?

God longs for us to be united with Him in thought and deed. Choosing to see ourselves through His eyes is a life-changing, joy-restoring act. If we have trouble delighting in ourselves, the Holy Spirit is with us to help us change our thoughts. Here is a simple prayer to help us reach for the help He is ready to deliver:

God, I need help believing that You are delighted with me. Please fill me with Your wisdom and defend me against condemning thoughts about myself. I know I am lovingly, wonderfully made by you. I know that you know every breathe I take, and I know that you are acquainted with all my thoughts, the passions of my heart, my longings and trials. Nothing about me is lost to you, and all you know about me, both the good and bad, never changes your love for me. I know when you look at me you see something ‘very good.’ Help me know these things, help me live confidently and at peace because of your delight in me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

This simple change can usher in healing in hearts and our relationships. When we rest in God’s love for us, we gain the courage to consider how much He must delight in other people. When we grow in our love of Him, we grow to love ourselves more, and can love others better too. This is the life changing love that God offers all of us!