Need for Humility

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14

Have you ever wondered why humility is such a big thing for God? Why do we see Him often calling out His people to humble themselves before Him?

In the context of the above verse, God has been time to time sending judgment upon His people in the form of drought, locusts, or pestilence. But the people were ignoring his commands and doing what they thought was right in their own eyes. What God wanted to do for them was to show them his act of kindness, love and care through the instructions He was giving them. But instead, people were exhibiting pride and self-reliance.

It is challenging to experience God’s grace, goodness and favour when we exhibit pride through our words, attitude and actions. A person with a prideful heart will always resist others from showing them acts of kindness because he/she thinks that they know it better, that they are self-sufficient, wiser than others and capable of taking care of themselves without the help of others. Their pride always hinders others from approaching them in love.

Brothers & sisters, if we are not careful, there is always a tendency in our heart to display pride and resilience towards God and others. As a result, even when God wants to approach us with love, care, concern and show his favour, He is unable to do so. This is not because He is incapable of blessing us but because of the resistance in our heart displayed through pride and expressed in our words, actions and attitude.

If that’s how the condition of our heart is, then we will fail to experience the full measure of His grace and love towards us. Isn’t that’s why He calls us to first humble ourselves before Him?

And maybe even in this season of a pandemic outbreak, God is calling us to humble ourselves, pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways so that He can give a listening ear from heaven, forgive our sins and heal our land.

Lord, help us to humble ourselves before you and approach with a heart of total surrendering.