The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in James 4:10,
"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."
In this part of James letter where he exhorts us to submit ourselves to God, James 4:7, he tells us to humble ourselves before the Lord. How do does one do that? I am certain that James meant more here than just an outward, superficial bow to the Lord, something more than what simply complies with a "religious" exercise, (as to genuflect as an example). Honestly, how is it possible to do what James asks of us in a sincere way? If we compulsively comply with what James asks of us, is it not somewhat contrived? Humility is not one of those things that can said to be authentic if it is only manifested in an outward manner. It must be a matter of the heart.
It seems to me what is required here is to seize upon a vision of God himself. It is when we have clarity of vision, a pristine perspective of who and what God is like are we able to humble ourselves before him in a meaningful and authentic way. As we witness God in all his glory, all his splendor, all his might, we may find the necessary motivation to bow our very hearts and souls to the Lord in true humility.
We have accounts of this very dynamic illustrated to us in the pages of Scripture. in Isaiah 6:1-5, "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.' At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.'"
While most of us will not have an "Isaiah opportunity" as related to us in his book, we do have many passages of Scripture we can avail ourselves of that provide us all we should need. Certainly the above passage in Isaiah is one. Here is another one from Revelation 4:2-6a, "At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal."
Here is another such example from Psalms 29, "Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, 'Glory!' The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace."
Where I may find myself short in humility before the Lord, I may find I have had my eyes off him as he has presented himself in the pages of Scripture. One day we will all bow in true humility before him as we shall see him just as he is. What a thought that is!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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