Humble

It is a critical moment for Jesus to be able to illustrate the kind of humility His apostles needed. He looks around the room and spies a child, probably playing. This child is like any child. Sometimes children are compliant and sometimes strong willed. Sometimes they are refreshed, fed, and content, and at other times they are tired, cranky, hungry, and defiant. Jesus needed a child who would come to Him when he called, allow Him to embrace Him, and would stand still long enough for Jesus to make His point. So He calls this child over, and the child comes, allows Jesus to take him in His arms, and stays still long enough for Jesus to make His point. "Humble yourselves as you see this little child doing at this moment." (That's my paraphrase.) "When I call you, come. When I want to wrap you in my embrace, don't fight Me. When I want you to stand still, stand still. Just as you see this little one responding to My will for him at this moment, so you too should learn to respond to My will for you day in and day out." Then, He releases the child who return to His play.

A survey of the concept of humility in Scripture reveals this is precisely what God is after. In Deut.8 God tells the Israelites why he led them for 40 years in the wilderness, i.e. to humble them and to test them to see what was in their hearts. He gave them manna day after day to test them and to humble them and to bring them under His will to accept what he gave from His hand "so it may go well with you." The only place we can experience true well being is in compliance with God's will. The only way to comply with His will is for us to either humble ourselves or to be humbled by Him. Moses and Aaron asked Pharaoh, "How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me and let my people go?" (Exodus 10:3) As you know, Pharaoh did not experience a lot of "well being" in opposition to the will of God. On the other hand Daniel was able to experience much well being because, as the angel told him, "Since the first day  you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before God, your words were heard and I have come in response to them." (Dan.10:12)  Two men and a case study in stubborn and humble will.

You know the passages like 2 Chron.7:14: "If my people who are called by My Name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land." Humility involves prayer, repentance, seeking the face of God, and brings the blessing of God's attention to us, forgiveness and healing. I wonder if Jacob had simply spent the night in humble prayer if he could have avoided his hip problems he got by fighting all night with an angel to gain God's blessings? God wants to bless us. We can do it the hard way or the easy way. The hard way is to fight God for it. The easy way is to be like this little child. "Humble yourself under God's mighty hand and He will lift you up."(1 Peter 5:6) God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.(Jas.4:6) Just as this little one sank into the arms of Jesus, so we too must learn to simply sink into the arms of God and let Him lead our steps. This is humility.