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Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you (1 Peter 5:6, ESV).
Let’s define humility as absolute dependence upon God.
In the Bible, it might seem odd that humility is the precursor of power. Peter says, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.” The world teaches, “Exalt yourselves for more fame, profit, and power.”
Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The Apostle Paul writes. . . .
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant (Philippians 2:5-7a).
Then Paul describes the result of the humility of Jesus. . .
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9).
Have we found ourselves without power? Perhaps we follow the world in seeking to exalt ourselves instead of totally depending on God. We all want the power of God in our lives, and most of us are willing to pay the price of humility, but how do we humble ourselves?
Simple obedience!
Not great sacrificial deeds or self-induced acts of sackcloth and ashes seeking to impress God (and others). It’s the opposite. The more we depend on God, the more we experience the mighty hand of God.
Years back, after praying one morning for God to work through my prayers to heal the sick, I was riding in a hospital elevator. A young woman, also in the elevator, mentioned that her husband was in ICU and not expected to live.
The Lord spoke to me, saying, “Get off the elevator with her and go pray for her husband.”
She got off the elevator, and I continued up while thinking, “Wow, what happens if he isn’t healed?” Two floors up, I hit the down button and soon found myself walking into his hospital room.
In the room, the young woman stood there with a skeptical acting nurse adjusting tubes, wires, and machines. After asking if I could pray for her husband, I laid my hands on his shoulder and prayed for his healing.
As I prayed, the peace of God came into the room, and the young woman began crying. I don’t know if the young man was healed, as I left quickly afterward.
I was obedient, overcame my fear, prayed, and left the result to God.
Humility — Biblical humility — seeks God and doesn’t care what others think, and often, our victory, resulting from our prayers and acts of obedience, will be known only in heaven.
Humility is absolute dependence on God! And that’s the only way to experience His mighty hand.