• What if humility, far from being simply a character trait of “nice” people, is rather a kind of doorway, a portal, through which God chooses to enter human affairs, just as pride is so often the occasion of his wrath (for his enemies) or his chastening (for his children). In other words, what if your experience of God, or lack of same, is due not to how hard you’re trying, but whether or not you are humble before him. Isaiah 2 seems to say so, a chapter that concludes with words all of us could stand to read once a week: “Stop regarding man who has but a breath in his nostrils, of what account is he?”
• Came across this today in Isaiah (29:19), “the meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord.” This helps us fill in the ending of 1 Peter 5:5 “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” All that is required to incur God’s grace and joy is humility. You could say it this way: He delights in the person who does not imagine he is God, or more realistically, who does not imagine he is the master of his own day-to-day affairs. Also from Isaiah: “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word” (that’s the old NIV).
• The humble person, because she isn’t self-absorbed, listens well and is, subsequently, taken into the hearts and lives of others. He is inevitably a person to whom others listen and whom others trust. Humility eases all relationships, in churches, marriages and families. And of course, humility strengthens tremendously our union with Christ. For those who have any doubts about the power of humility (if you’ll let me bend meanings only slightly) consider that the Beatitudes (Mt 5:1-11) are really all about humility, the rewards being: the kingdom of heaven; comfort; the earth (this probably means “the land” and suggests the New Earth); satisfaction; mercy; and seeing God.
• Humble yourselves, brothers and sisters, beneath the mighty hand of God, and in due time he will exalt you. In due time.