GodReflection: Power Words

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; – Psalms 95:6

My title is irreverent.

Perhaps if I remove the word ‘hey’ it sounds more like an honest question.

Recently, I finished my annual reading of the Old Testament Book of Job. To be truthful, I need to read often the core of God’s message to Job and Job’s response. That is the focal point of the book.

Job hurts. However, the book’s message isn’t about suffering.

In his pain, he attempts to figure out God.

Job sits by an earthen fire pit with four self-invited guest. They declare him sin filled while he rightly maintains his innocence. However, it may be going too far to challenge God to a debate.

The story line is not about Job’s pain. Rather, it is about the Glory of God and the arrogance of Job who can’t see beyond the truth he holds inside his fist.

At the end of Job’s tirade, God rehearses His Glory over four chapters.

The word humble describes perfectly Job’s response.     

He answered the Lord in meekness and complete humility:

I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?  I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer—twice, but I will say no more.

You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’

Surely, I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.

You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’

My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.

Here is what I think.

I can be an arrogant God follower.

I am never as astute as I can make myself believe when it come to God knowledge.

Like Job, I need to place my hand over my mouth and react to God in humility.

The truth is I don’t do God better than other Jesus followers do.

Even in my delight at the discovery of a nugget of truth, my limited vision does not equate to Holy eyesight.

All I know for sure is my assurance is in the gospel—my acceptance of God’s forgiving grace is based totally upon the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

That makes me a child of the Father and a brother to all of His children.

My walk on earth is to let the Holy Spirit transform me into the likeness of Jesus. To the degree I allow the transformation, I begin to reflect his image as light to fellow travelers. To the degree I allow the transformation, I grow in humility.

With each season of my life I want that transformation to become more and more my reality.

I like the statement attributed to C.S. Lewis, that people with humility don’t think less of themselves, they just think of themselves less.

When Job saw God, the contrast between frail man and Creator God left him speechless. His focus turned from Job to Almighty God.

Jesus tells a story of two guys who approach God in worship.

One shares his list of right doctrine while the other stands at a distance—feeling unworthy to approach the Holy—as he lowers his head in his infinite smallness and shame, he beats his breast in sincere humility and cries out, God have mercy on me a sinner.

Jesus concludes, I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Jesus wants me to grow. However, he wants my growth to flow from the deep soil of humility. My declaration is one of being a seeker. I should never declare I have arrived.

For it is in the transformation toward humility that I will discover the posture for worship.

Stay tuned.

Dr. Gary J. Sorrells – A GodReflection on Humility as a Power Word Leading to Worship.

Gary@GodReflection.org          www.MakeYourVisionGoViral.com