A Humbling Thing

 

 

READ: Psalm 21-25

After flying home from our short holiday, we watched our church service online. The message was about the worst of the Seven Deadly Sins — pride, the worst because it is the root of all sin. Pride is trusting me when I should be trusting the Lord, as if I am wiser, kinder, and more able than He is to make my life as it should be. Such an insanity!

Today’s reading includes this familiar psalm and I must begin with it — mostly because it contains the words of a humble man of God’s own heart:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:1–6)

I recognize pride in me when I stop giving glory to my Shepherd and promote myself in boasting or other ways of seeking recognition. I also recognize it when I have a pity-party because I think I deserve better or I am comparing myself to others and feeling sorry for poor me. Pride also shows up in self-reliance rather than relying on the Lord, and in self-righteousness when I think and act like I am better than others. Pride is a relationship-ruining attitude with self at the center. The only answer or cure for it is to see myself through God’s eyes and to consider others more important than me, just as Jesus does.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3–4)

First, for any posts that smack of pride, I ask forgiveness. As our pastor said, many of our prideful words and actions happen without our awareness. He also suggested to ask God to reveal whatever prideful attitudes are in me:

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23–24)

Fixing my eyes on God always has a humbling effect. As the psalmist prays, I must also pray:

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! (Psalm 25:4–7)

The Lord “leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way” (Psalm 25:9) and even if I am motivated by pride to do what is right, God’s leading and teaching soon make me aware that doing what is right is impossible without His grace and enabling. That is humbling to a proud person and so it should be.

Humility is about fearing God, not the fear like terror but the fear of incredible awe. This God has chosen me to be His child. This Almighty God who is holy and without flaw loves sinners and sent His Son to die for us — while we were still sinners. He didn’t wait until I got my act together, or wait until I realized that I am totally unable to get my act together. He picked me up and made me His own, knowing that I would need a lifetime to realize even in a small way that I am a proud and stubborn soul. And in the doing of that, He also teaches me to fear Him and choose His way instead of my own ideas and plans.

Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. (Psalm 25:12–14)

All this to say that I still consider myself God’s spoiled brat, not boasting about it but realizing that I will never deserve even the least of His blessings, yet He blesses me anyway — out of the goodness and love in His heart — an incredible humbling thing.