Readings for today: Proverbs 25-27, 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
Many years ago I heard God speak audibly. It doesn’t happen all that often to me. Most of the time God speaks to me through His Word or through other people but in this particular instance, God spoke directly to me. I heard His voice. He gave me three words - obscurity, anonymity, and insignificance. I was taken aback. These are not normally words I would associate with myself. In fact, my tendency is to go the opposite way. I like attention. I want to be known. More than anything else, I want to make a difference. Do something significant with my life. That’s how I knew these words were from God. They cut against the prideful grain of my heart. They confronted my natural arrogance and called me to a life of relinquishment, humility, and surrender.
When I asked God what He meant by giving me those words, He explained. “I want you to labor in obscurity, embrace anonymity, and pursue insignificance.” Again, this is not my natural way of operating. I was raised to work hard and chase success. My whole life has been wrapped up and even defined to a great extent by what I can achieve. I am naturally competitive. I like to stand out. I like to be honored. I live for the praise of those around me. That’s why God gave me these three words. God knows the sinful tendencies of my heart and He wants to set me free. So He called me to decrease rather than increase. He called me to a life of demotion rather than promotion. He called me to fade into the background rather than step into the limelight. One sees the same dynamic in play today in our reading from the Proverbs…
“Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.” (Proverbs 25:6-7)
“It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory.” (Proverbs 25:27)
“Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” (Proverbs 27:2)
“The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise.” (Proverbs 27:21)
Now why would God do this to me? Or as I have come to understand, why would God do this for me? It’s because He’s after my heart. He is shaping my heart to look like the heart of His Son. “As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.” (Proverbs 27:19) God wants my heart to reflect His heart. Rather than pride, He wants humility. Rather than arrogance, He wants submission. Rather than striving to reach the top, He wants me to race to the bottom. The last shall be first and the first shall be last. The one who gives up his life shall find it. Jesus did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. The Son of God emptied Himself to become a slave, suffering the most humiliating death imaginable. To be made like Jesus is to take a similar journey. We humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand and in due time, according to His sovereign plan and purpose, He exalts us just as He did His Son.
Here’s the strange thing I’ve learned since I first heard God speak those words to me. The more I embrace them, the more He lifts me up. The more I pursue godly humility in my life, the more I find myself exalted in His presence. The more I empty my hands, the more He pours in. The more I let go of my trophies and achievements and honors, the more success He gives. What’s the difference between my former way of living and the way I live today? None of these things have a hold on me. In my former life, they would have become idols. They would enslave me. I would spend so much time and energy protecting them. Guarding them. Making sure everyone knew what I had earned. What I had achieved. What I deserved. Now I’ve been set free. God has unclenched my fists. He has opened my hands. All that I have is a gift from Him. A blessing from above. A grace I can enjoy without any pressure to perform.
Readings for tomorrow: None