“When He [king Rehoboam] humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, so as not to destroy him completely; and things also went well in Judah.”
2 Chronicles 12:12
Because Rehoboam and the people had forsaken the Lord and had sinned against Him by worshipping other gods, the Lord sent the king of Egypt to overtake them. However, the leaders repented and humbled themselves. As a result of their humble response, the Lord said they would not be destroyed — but only subdued by Sheshak, the Egyptian king. Shishak took all the treasure from the house of the Lord and from the king’s house — a painful reminder to Rehoboam and Judah to not turn away from the Lord.
God will never turn away a humble soul, but neither will He ignore pride in the lives of those whom He loves. The reason for this is His mercy. The Lord does not want to destroy us, therefore He sends adversity to shake us in order to turn us back to Himself. Not all adversity in one’s life is due to sin or pride, so don’t judge your brother prematurely. Adversity may also come from satanic attacks which we must resist. Adversity may also come from God for the purpose of conforming us to Christ.
Humility in a man is the chief thing the Lord requires. In humbling ourselves we can move the heart of God to change his intentions toward us. How shall we humble? Humility may be a work of God as He humbles us through hardship and trouble. But the preferred manner of obtaining humility is when one humbles himself. Better to humble yourself than to be humbled by God (at least it is easier). Humble yourself by acknowledging your sin and God’s righteousness; by tearing down the things in your life which have usurped His Lordship; by getting back to obediently living your life according to the word of God.
Humility brings a change of perspective, a change in action and attitude, even a change in God’s discipline toward us. The New Testament tells us that God disciplines those whom He loves (Hebrews 12). The severity of that discipline depends upon the speed and depth of our repentance.
Take a some time now to seek the Lord. Ask Him if there is any pride in your life and take steps to humble yourself.
