Humbled to be Exalted !

 ‘1 Peter 5: 6-7, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.’

God has always humbled lives before He exalted them. There is a valley before an uphill, darkness before the dawn, and tears before the hearty laughter. Had this not be so, man would grow in pride and ultimately move to destruction. God’s love cannot be comprehended, neither can His ways be. For its often beyond human wisdom.

Deut.8:2, “And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”  God had promised Abrham, Isaac and Jacob the land of Canaan. But yet, God humbled the Israelites before letting them have it. God humbles one to know one’s heart and to test one’s obedience. God knows a heart, even without testing a life, for He is the Omniscience, the all knowing God. But when He humbles one, He allows the ones who are being tested too, to know their own hearts. This allows us to see His doings justified.

Deut.8:3, “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” One is humbled when one puts all one’s trust in Him alone. For this God removes all that one can depend on, in human wisdom for one’s purposes. God lead the Israelites out of Egypt into the wilderness. They had food in Egypt, though it was bread of affliction. In wilderness, their freedom to chose food was snatched away. They tasted hunger, yet was not abandoned by God. He fed them with manna. In the process, Israelites depended on God for their survival. Our dependency on His Word for our survival in this world determines our humbleness. When one is humbled, the Word of God becomes one’s strength, guide, counsel, wisdom and shield . In short, a humbled person breathes in and out His Word.

God fed His people with manna, which was given afresh every morning. Israelite would rise up every morning looking up at divine hands to fill their stomach. A humbled life time and again looks up to the One who made the heaven and the earth. They have only one place to look up at. They look with complete assurance that the Lord would never forsake them and they would receive the timely help.

God fed them with manna, a food of God’s choice, not of people’s choice. A humbled life receives and accepts God’s choices with thanksgiving. They do not have regrets for not having their own choices, for they  consider and realize that God’s choices are best, which  causes them to pray, “Lord let only your will happen.’

Deut.8: 5-6, “You should ^[d]know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.“ Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.” When God chastens His child,  the purpose of chastening is to bring one to obedience, never for discouragement and destruction. Hence, the response of the concerned person matters much. Hebr.12:5, “And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the ^[c]chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;..” A humbled person will neither despise not be discouraged when chastened or humbled. He or she is able to see God’s sustaining love and care even within the chastisement. This love comforts and strengthens him and draws him to more of obedience and submission. Joshua and Caleb were also among the Israelites when they were humbled. But they chose to respond differently. Their mouths were always full of praises for the Lord and encouragement for the people of God (Numbers14:6-9). What comes out of our mouth while being humbled expresses the state of our heart. If truly humbled, we will speak only about His mercy and goodness towards us even at such times and God faithfully uses such lives  even while going through tough situations. God used Joshua and Caleb to stop the discouraged Israelites from returning back to Egypt.

‘..casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.’ When the Lord  humbles a person, by nature, the concerns and burdens increases, and one realizes one’s helplessness about the situation. Here, our complete dependance is turned on the Lord. This is where the apostle writes, ‘Cast all your cares”, not ‘some’ or’ few’. Whatsoever is bothering us, we cast upon Him, for we know whom we have trusted…. His care cannot be expressed in words. Its overwhelming and is beyond human comprehension. We realise that only God can take care of us in this manner.  Deut.8:4, “Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.” Imagine clothes growing with growing children and not wearying with regular use. Imagine the feet which walked forty years, and yet had no complaints. Who can care for us in this manner except our Saviour ? When we ponder on such care showered on us, it strengthens us to go through humbling process with the hope on His promises.

…that He may exalt you in due time. God’s ultimate purpose of humbling one is to exalt him or her in a manner, where all glory is given to Him and Him alone. Deut.8:7, ‘ For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills;    Deut.8:10, ‘When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.’ In due time, the promised land was inherited by the Israelites. God exalts His humbled children, but with a warning. Deut.8:11,“Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today.’ One’s exaltation ought to bring glory and honor to the Lord alone. The humbling process makes one realize that only He is worthy of same. It thus prepares the lives to handle the exaltation in the right way for right purposes.

Let our hearts not be weary or faint while being humbled, for we are in His loving and caring hands. Let’s wait for His due time to see the exaltation for His glory sake.

GOD bless us all.