“Though the Lord is great, He cares for the humble, but He keeps His distance from the proud.”-Psalm 138:6
This powerful verse points to the truth of God’s greatness, to how high above us He truly is, yet He cares for…those who are very smart, those who are cool, those who are accomplished, who are wealthy, who are clever…actually it says nothing of the sort. God cares for, He takes note of, the humble. Though God is God, needing absolutely nothing, being high above everything, He Himself is humble. Therefore, He loves and puts humility in high regard.
What is humility? How should it play out in the Christian’s life? Pastor Tim Keller put it in such a helpful way —”The Christian Gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself or less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less.” Humility grows in us as we see more and more who God truly is and understand more clearly who we really are, broken yet beloved. God absolutely praises humility throughout His Word!
Conversely, God does not like pride. In fact, He hates it. He despises it so much that He distances Himself from the proud. When we think and act like we need nothing and no one, that’s pride. When we think and act with arrogance, that’s pride. If we think much about ourselves, acting as if the world revolves around us, and therefore aren’t remembering God and thinking about God, it’s pride. Sadly, when we live and act in this way, God distances Himself because it’s sin, and He won’t be near sin.
Here’s an important question for us all to consider: Do I want to align myself with God or align myself against God? The answer to this question is a matter of humility or pride. Good friends, today and everyday is a great day to align ourselves with our great God. So, let’s daily humble ourselves before the Lord, admitting our need for Him and enjoying His closeness and favor.
Godspeed, friends!
-Scott