Walk Humbly!
Have you ever faced a situation in your life that weighed on you so heavily, and was so beyond your ability to fix, reverse, or control, that the only option you had was to go to God and cry out to Him for help? (As if that was ever a bad idea in the first place!) I would imagine that most all of us can identify with this type of situation. Maybe it’s an unresolved health issue, the loss of a loved one, financial hardship, an addiction that has created dysfunction, a broken relationship, a failing marriage, a wayward family member… the list of reasons goes on and on.
Sometimes it’s only after we’ve done all we know to do in our own strength, and after we don’t see the changes we’re longing for, and after we’ve worn out every other approach to trying to fix something or someone, that we finally move toward that place of humble surrender and seeking the Lord through prayer, calling on Him to do what only He can do. Which I think is the place God would love for us to be all along! Maybe the lesson for us to learn is that, regardless of how intense life gets for us at any given point in time, we should be a people who are drawing close and seeing our need for Him amidst it all.
God is looking for people who are looking for Him! Whether we are coming to Him from those desperate places of need, or simply approaching Him with the cares, concerns, and tasks of the day, He wants to see us acknowledging Him through life, depending upon His wisdom, strength, guidance, and counsel along the way. Take a moment to consider these words from God Himself:
2 Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”
Are we among those whose hearts are committed to Him? If so, He wants to give us His strength!
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Jeremiah 29:12-13, “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Are we among those who seek His face and call on His name? If so, He listens and He will be found!
 James 4:6, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
Are we among those who are learning to walk humbly before Almighty God? If so, He gives grace and shows favor!
As we step into this new year with all that it may hold, may God’s Word serve as a timely challenge and encouragement for us to be the people He is looking for in the world: those who are walking humbly, seeking His face, and depending on His strength.
Happy New Year!