God Raises the HumbleSpeaker: Sis. Stella Dhinakaran Gist: Do not be depressed in your life. Do not put your trust on anyone in this world. Let Christ be everything to you! Be humble and meek, as He desires. He raises the humble from their lowly state. "For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed." (Luke 1:48)
"He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly." (Luke 1:52)
These were the words of the mother of our Lord Jesus. One day, the angel of the Lord visited her in her humble home and greeted her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" (Luke 1:28). She believed those words implicitly and appropriated the blessing for herself.
The man of God, Simeon, prophesied to her, "Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:35). Really, how much would her heart have throbbed in anguish to see her son being nailed to the cross! The pains He suffered would have broken her heart as well. Yet, how great would have been her joy on being the mother of a godly Son!
Usually, when children grow up in godly fear and distinguish themselves in their spiritual lives, the parents' hearts rejoice. So, Mary considered herself blessed for being the mother of the Son of God. It is a wonder to think how God chose her to grant that blessed state. She was an ordinary maid. That is what made her burst out so joyously, "For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed" (Luke 1:48).
My dear friend, God's love is changeless, yesterday, today and forever. The Bible says, "God is love" (1 John 4:8,16), and it is absolutely true. You need not ever regret that you are in a low estate. The Lord will grant you His blessings and honour you as He honoured Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. He scans the heart of everyone of us.
What did we bring into this world? What can we take out from here? All that we can say for certain is, "The Lord has given this; blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). But when we cling to Jesus, He is mighty to raise us more than we can ever desire or deserve. But one thing He expects for us.
"O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8). He gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34).
The Bible says, "Jesus humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:8). The image of the invisible God, as He was, yet He humbled Himself, assumed a simple lifestyle and lived as a model before us. Never be depressed in your life or murmur over anything. God can raise you from any lowly state. He will make you a blessing to others.
A young girl had to leave her parents for a distant place, as her poor parents thought that she can come up in life there. She was broken-hearted by the uncertainity of her future. She had to live alone in the new place and take care of herself. But our God never forsakes the lonely. Lord Jesus came down and met her. Though she had never thought about God before, the love of Jesus drew her to Him. Her life changed. God made her to be a blessing among women in that place. God chose her in her lowliness.
My dear friend, you may have several limitations in your life. You may have to undergo several sufferings through your own people. Never take them to heart. Be humble as our Lord Jesus lived on this earth. Wait upon the Lord to exalt you.
"God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)
I tasted the love of Christ when I was sixteen years old. Through these decades, the Lord has been so graciously raising me up in life. The Lord who led me so far will do the same thing for you. Be not dismayed! There is one thing which I would like to reiterate. Do not put your trust on man. Let Christ be everything to you! Be humble and meek, as He desires. He will then exalt you to great heights.
Prayer:
Gracious Heavenly Father,
I believe that You can raise the lowly one from the dust and exalt him. Father, raise me from my lowly state and exalt me also. Let me shine forth for Your glory. In Jesus' mighty name, I pray.
Amen. |