The Invaluable Reward of Humility

“I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” – Isaiah 57:15

The God who dwells in the High and Holy place also promises to dwell in us – but only those with a humble and contrite spirit.

To dwell means to take possession or occupying the space. In the above passage, God reveals to us that He desires to occupy the space in our heart but to occupy the space in our heart it needs to be empty – no other occupant demanding possession of that space.

In man, the self has possession, the self-will has mastery, and it is simply impossible for God to dwell or rule when self is on the throne.

If we are not careful, even in believers, our self tends to secretly not allow God to make our heart his dwelling place because for God to take control means losing our ability to control.

Therefore, if we truly desire to experience God’s nearness within our hearts, a breaking down of self is necessary and such breaking down could be painful.

Friends, humility is not just a posture we take on the outside but its the quality of having a modest or low view of one’s importance. In our case having a low view of our self and a high view of God who wants to use our earthen bodies for His glory by making it His dwelling place which He can mould, shape and direct according to His will to accomplish great things through us.

Lord, help us value this invaluable reward of humility, allowing you to take full control of our lives and use it for your glory.