At the Mercy of God

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” –James 4:10

There is nothing worse than being at the mercy of someone that you have offended. We see it in movies where the warrior is captured by the enemy and as he kneels before them in humility, the only thing he can do is hope that the enemy shows mercy. We see it in our own lives, as what we have said or done to offend someone comes back to bite us, and we have to go and humble ourselves before them. While we have to reveal what we have done to offend them and apologize, ultimately the course of action is largely up to them. Either they will choose to pass down some type of repercussions upon us, or they will choose to forgive us. It is up to them.

When we come before the Lord, the situation is similar, only the consequences are greatly magnified. We have to humble ourselves before him, but we are dependent upon his character. How will he respond? James tells us that when we humble ourselves before him, ‘he will lift us up.’ He will not push us farther down. He will not hold a grudge. He will forgive us and restore us through his unconditional love, just as Christ restored Peter after Peter had betrayed him three times (John 21). When we humble ourselves before God, we can be completely restored, not because of who we are, but because of who he is.

When you approach God in humility, are you able to trust in his character, or do you still see him unhealthily?