The Humble Submit and Trust in God
James 4:6-10 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
God’s will is that we submit to Him, that we stop resisting His will, that we allow Him to have complete control of our lives. Submission requires humility because it requires that we acknowledge that God is more capable of directing our lives than we are ourselves, and it also requires that we acknowledge that God has a greater right to direct our lives than we do ourselves. The devil tries to get us to resist God’s will by telling us that we know better than God, and that we have a right to do as we choose with our own lives. The fact is all sin is rebellion against God’s will and submission is part of true repentance towards God. We resist the devil by submitting to God, and submitting to God is the same as drawing near to God; therefore, when we submit to God the devil flees from us because he does not want to be near God. When we humble ourselves before God by submitting to His will, we acknowledg that His rights and abilities are greater than our own, and He rewards us by exalting us. God may exalt us in differing ways. He may deliver us from temptation, trial, suffering, or whatever difficulty we are experiencing, or He may strengthen us to bear up under our circumstances. Furthermore, He always exalts us by strengthening us in our faith.
1 Pet 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
We humble ourselves under God’s hand by submitting to His will. When we submit ourselves under God’s hand we are acknowledging that His rights are greater than our own. When we submit to God’s will we are entrusting ourselves to His care, we are acknowledging that He is capable, trustworthy, loving, and kind. We do not need to worry about the outcome of submitting to God because He always cares for us. Submitting to God involves trusting in Him, and when we trust in Him we will not be disappointed; He will exalt us, lift us up, establish us in due time.
Matt 11:29-30 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
When we take the yoke of Jesus Christ upon ourselves we become attached to Him in such a way that we are always led by Him. When we take His yoke upon us, we become totally dependent upon Him for guidance, direction, and purpose in life. We receive His wisdom in every situation and His strength for every need. When we take His yoke upon ourselves we are humbling ourselves before Him; we are submitting to His will above our own. When we submit to God, He does not disappoint us.
Isa 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
God made everything and everyone, but the humble person is not lost in the crowd, he is special to God. The person who humbles himself before God is not just another small part of God’s great creation, he is a very important and special part of God’s personal family. We humble ourselves by believing God’s word when He says that we are sinners and in need of a savior, by recognizing that we cannot save ourselves, and by trusting Him to save us. When we humble ourselves He makes it His responsibility to watch over us, and to keep us in His loving care.
Prov 29:23 A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
The proud person says that he does not need God; therefore, God is opposed to the proud and He will see to it that the proud will be brought down. The truly humble person is one who honors God by submitting to Him, by trusting in Him, and by giving thanks in every situation. God will reward the humble by always caring for him, for all eternity.
Prov 11:2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.
When a person is proud he foolishly thinks that he is better than he really is, or that he is more important than he really is, and most of all that God accepts him just as he is without a savior. Therefore, the proud will be dishonored when he is brought down at the judgement. When a person is humble he recognizes that he is not really any better or more important than anyone else. He realizes he cannot approach God on his own merits but that he needs a savior. Therefore, there is wisdom in being humble because the humble will trust in Jesus Christ for salvation and God will not disappoint him.
Ps 25:9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
The proud trusts in himself and does not look to God for guidance. The humble constantly looks to God for guidance recognizing that he is totally dependent upon God for all things; therefore, God does not disappointment him. The humble person honors God, and as a result God honors the humble person by always leading him and teaching him His way. The proud are foolish and lost, and they do not know it. The humble are wise with the wisdom of God, and are never lost.
Deut 8:16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;
Learning to depend upon God is learning humility. Submitting to God is true obedience. The whole purpose for humbling us is to teach us to trust and obey; so that, we may know God and be able to experience all the love that He has for us. When God has trained us to trust and obey, He will then be able to bless us with many blessings.
Prov 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
The truly humble person trusts in God completely, even when he does not understand what God is doing or why God is doing it. The truly humble person acknowledges that God is in control at all times and that He knows what He is doing. The truly humble person will never be disappointed because he has put his trust in God.
Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
The truly humble person rejoices in the Lord at all times no matter what the circumstances because he knows that God is in control and He is totally trustworthy.
1Thes 5:16-18 Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Because the humble person has learned to trust and obey he can rejoice at all times, even when life is painful. Because he has the Spirit of God, he can talk to God continuously. Because he knows God cares for him, he can give thanks in every circumstance. The humble person knows that God is in control, that God always knows what He is doing, and He always knows what is best for us. The humble person does not trust in himself, but he trust in the Lord.
All Scripture taken from King James Bible
* Bible Studies by Max Swan
Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. (NAS) Jer 9:23-24