"Humble yourselves, therefore,
under God's mighty hand,
that he may lift you up in due time.
Cast all your anxiety on him
because he cares for you."
1 Peter 5:6-7
"I can't do it anymore." These words slipped from my friend's mouth amidst the streaming tears as she poured out her heartache. She was giving her all to her family, but they were showing nothing but contempt and ingratitude. Defeat was written all over her face.
As we spoke, poring over scripture and submitting ourselves to God, an amazing transformation took place. Hopelessness turned to faith. Despair became optimism. Defeat was transformed into triumph. The Holy Spirit was at work.
This kind of progression can be studied in the book of Psalms where David began by crying out to God in despair and ended by praising Him in a spirit of great hope and worshipfulness. Only God's Spirit can create this dramatic transformation in a person's soul.
Control
I can make it work, I just need to try harder. I don't know if you've ever said this to yourself, but I have many times. Whether it be in trying to control my temper, accomplishing tasks throughout the day, or in strengthening my marriage, the fact remains that I am not the one in control.
Pastor and writer Dick Rasanen shares this desire to be in command as a prayer. "Dear God, I find it so easy to try to be the one in charge. I find it so painful to realize that I am not the one in control. Help me know when saying "I just work here" that it is a confession and not just a way of evading responsibility."
Isaiah 40 is a good place to start in reminding myself where I stand in the scheme of things. "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." (v 6-8)
I am small and fragile in comparison to the mighty, everlasting God who created me! How can I hope to control anything?
God's message through the prophet Isaiah continues with, "Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?" (v 13-14) Not only am I feeble and frail, but I have no comprehension of the workings of things.
As if that's not enough, God then reminds me of his power as compared to my weakness. "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." (v 28-29) God will never say, "I can't do it anymore."
God is better equipped to remain in control than am I.
Humble
Even though it is painfully clear that I am ill-equipped and completely unable to direct my own paths, there is a little something called "pride" that drives me to try anyway.
My pride says I have something to do with my own destiny, whether negative or positive. My pride pushes my own desires, hurts, and problems to the forefront and all else to the background. My pride won't let me forget myself.
Humility, however, helps me to realize the truth that God directs my footsteps. Humility elevates others' desires, hurts and problems to the same level of importance as my own. Humility allows me to forget myself and my desire to defend my reputation, thinking only of God and His Name.
The crazy thing about humility is that if I feel in a rut, if it seems I'm in a pit so deep that I can't climb out, if I think that I can't get any lower, the answer is to lower myself to a position that recognizes that I am nothing without my Creator. I must admit that all I have, all I am, all I own is a gift from God.
When I have bowed before the Lord as low as I can get, with my face in the dirt, He does something amazing. As James wrote in Chapter 4 verse 10 of his letter to God's people scattered throughout the region, "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."
It runs counter to my understanding to lower myself in order to be lifted up, but the key lies in Who is doing the elevating.
Yield
I encounter the familiar red triangular sign quite often when driving around my town. My first instinct when pulling up beside it is to think how I can dart out into traffic without having to wait. In reality, this sign means, "it is (my) responsibility to slow down, look to the right and left and yield to oncoming traffic." *
As a driver, I am under the authority of the law of the land. If the sign says "Yield", then I must let the other cars go first or I am at risk of earning a ticket from a law enforcement official.
In the same way, I must surrender to and submit to God as the ultimate authority in my life. Since He says to yield to Him, I must let Him go first, allowing Him to lead the way in my life.
As David said in Psalm 25:8-9, "Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way." Submitting myself to God means yielding to his authority and power in every part of my life and letting Him have His way.
God has all the answers if I would only yield to His power.
My friend was right, she can't do it anymore. She never could, and neither can I. Instead, I can recognize that God is the One who is in control of all things. I can humble myself before Him, giving me the ability to yield to His Spirit as Lord of my life.
Now I can do it, because it is God who is working it out through me!
As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will recognize God's dominion over all things.
When do I fall into a pit as I focus only on the mess that is all around me instead of on the great power of God?
In what areas do I rely on my own feeble strength instead of submitting to God's undying strength?
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