Last night as I read my Bible, I had a “stop the presses” moment. The kind when you’re reading a familiar passage, but the reality of its truth seems to bore into your spirit in a way it never has before. It happened in Isaiah 57:15, “…I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit…”
The extremes in which God lives seemed to take my breath away--the very high and the very low. Holy God feels at home in a humble heart.
But how do you get one of those?
C.S. Lewis says in Mere Christianity, if we meet a humble man, “He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.” He goes on to say, “If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can…tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud. …If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.”
I know when we come up against tough life situations like a cancer diagnosis, a death of a loved one, or a marital problem, we often are more open to letting God empty us of pride. God uses our desperation to bring us to that place where we’re not thinking of ourselves, only of the God who is our very breath. I’ve often experienced a powerful sense of God’s presence with people who’ve suffered greatly—people who have allowed God to use their suffering for His glory,exhibit a spirit of quiet and gentle humility. As Isaiah would say, “…contrite and lowly…”
I want one of those kinds of hearts. I want God to use whatever suffering I go through for Him. I want God to live with me.
How about you?
The extremes in which God lives seemed to take my breath away--the very high and the very low. Holy God feels at home in a humble heart.
But how do you get one of those?
C.S. Lewis says in Mere Christianity, if we meet a humble man, “He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.” He goes on to say, “If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can…tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud. …If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.”
I know when we come up against tough life situations like a cancer diagnosis, a death of a loved one, or a marital problem, we often are more open to letting God empty us of pride. God uses our desperation to bring us to that place where we’re not thinking of ourselves, only of the God who is our very breath. I’ve often experienced a powerful sense of God’s presence with people who’ve suffered greatly—people who have allowed God to use their suffering for His glory,exhibit a spirit of quiet and gentle humility. As Isaiah would say, “…contrite and lowly…”
I want one of those kinds of hearts. I want God to use whatever suffering I go through for Him. I want God to live with me.
How about you?