HUMBLE YOURSELVES IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD – James 4:10

“Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” (James 4:10) 

Humbling oneself is necessary for salvation since eternal salvation is only available to those who humble themselves in the sight of the Lord. Proverbs 22:4 tells us that “The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor, and life.” 

Like James, Peter repeats that same promise, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). 

The one who truly humbles himself in the sight of God is the one who makes himself lowly of heart before the Lord, by admitting the greatness of our God and acknowledging His magnificent Majesty. It means recognizing and confessing that without the Lord we can do nothing. It means to trust in Him in all things and relying on Him to carry out the good work that He has prepared for us for His ultimate glory. 

True humility is a fruit of the Spirit that buds and grows in the heart of someone who submits to God and walks in spirit and truth – someone who is growing in grace and maturing in the Christian faith.  

The humble person recognizes that all he has is a gift from God as 1 Chronicles 29:16 states: “O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own.” 

When we humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, our hearts continually seek after God, even when we fail. We confess our pride and faults to God and allow Him to transform us into Christ’s likeness. In response, God gives grace to the humble but resists the proud (James 4:6). 

Jesus talks about a prideful man that had to humble himself before he could reap the rewards God had for him, as he cites the story of Naaman the Syrian as an example of God’s concern for people of all nations: “And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian” (Luke 4:27). 

Naaman was the commander of the Syrian army who was stricken with an incurable and loathsome disease. Similarly, any natural man, no matter how powerful, is afflicted with the lethal disease of sin. 

Before this proud leader could be cured of his leprosy, he had to humble himself in several ways. First, he had to accept the advice of a slave girl from an enemy nation; then he had to travel to that nation where Elisha the man of God was. However, once there the prophet would not even go out to meet him and send him a messenger, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” Naaman, was furious and resentful to be so humiliated, however, since his condition was hopeless, he finally did all the things that he was told to do and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean (2 Kings 5:14). 

The lesson for us to learn is that we can willingly humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, or we can be humbled by God Himself, a process that will be more painful in the long run. King Nebuchadnezzar is a good example of what happens to someone that does not humble himself before God (Daniel 4:28-33). 

Proverbs 16:5 tells us that, “The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.” However, God promises the humble – riches, honor, and life eternal; therefore, there is no better way to live than to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). 

Humility negates our pride, sets aside personal jealousy and looks out for the good of another “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3). Instead of elevating ourselves, we should humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and choose what is best for someone else. In this way, we represent Christ well by pursuing “peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). 

Remember that instead of living a prideful life, we should humble ourselves and live by faith in the One who loved us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20). 

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