| “Humble yourselves therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” |
| —1 Peter 5:6 |
Picture two brothers, ages five and seven, fascinated enough to come up close every Sunday during the Postlude to watch me play the organ. They liked the action of the pistons, the movement of my fingers, and especially the movement of my feet, as the music filled the sanctuary.
One Sunday, the older brother posed the question, “Do you ever make mistakes?”
Considering that his question provided a “teachable moment,” I said, “Sure I do.”
To which he responded, “I thought so!”
I’ve thought of that encounter quite a number of times over the years, as I tried to camouflage an errant note or two while I played.
Most of us have plenty of opportunities for God to humble us. Whether it’s a piece of toilet paper stuck to the bottom of our shoe, a wardrobe malfunction, or a “tied tongue” when speaking in public, we know how it feels to experience humiliation. Sometimes we even know why God has brought us down with an embarrassing event.
When we think too highly of ourselves, our Lord says in Isaiah 42:8:
“I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another.”
In so many words, God is saying, “Get over yourself!”
When we compare ourselves to others and boast, even to ourselves, about our imagined superiority, God, in His love and discipline, will allow us to suffer humiliation to remind us that we possess nothing He did not give us, even our well-honed skills. Again, in Isaiah 66:2, our Lord says:
“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”
God wants humble servants—grateful for all we are and have—not self-assured, boasting performers who feel superior to those around us. When we, in pride, carry out our work—or even our service to Him—we steal His glory. When we bow before Him in humility and thanksgiving, we lift Him up and reveal His glory!
We need to get over ourselves, but never over Him!
