God’s Humility
The world is full of busy people – people who are pursuing success, and who do not have time to think about you or me. Pouring all their energy into career, goals, or pleasure, they hardly notice anyone or anything else. No wonder modern advertising must get more and more creative to get people to notice anything!
God is not that way. A few days ago, praying through Psalm 113 (which is at the bottom of this post), I noticed God’s interest in the universe as I read this phrase – “Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth.”
God Humbles Himself to Behold the Heavens
Sometimes I am surprised to think that God cares for me – but He does more than that. He must humble himself even to behold ‘the things that are in the heavens.’
God humbles himself to take notice of the solar system.
It is an act of humility for God to direct the movement of the planets.
God lowers himself to the level of recognizing the galaxies.
There is nothing that happens in the universe – whether a comet that enters earth’s atmosphere, a supernova explosion, or a storm on the surface of Jupiter, that God does not direct. And it is an act of humility on God’s part to even direct those things.
God Humbles Himself to Behold the Earth
He sees all things that happen in the earth. This is one of the main differences between the teachings of the Bible and the teachings of many other religions. God is often seen as a remote Being with no interest in the affairs of the world. Many polytheistic religions admit that there is one ultimate Divine Being, but He is uninterested in earth’s affairs. He leaves it to the management of minor gods and goddesses. Other religions see ‘God’ as an abstract idea or force, with no intellection or concern about the beings that inhabit the world. No wonder Christianity is an incredibly ‘hopeful’ religion, in light of these systems.
The ‘god’ of many people does not care what happens in the world, or what happens in their lives. While the contemporary jesus may not care, the Jesus of the Bible is interested in the intimate details of our lives, and he does care.
But this goes farther. As the Psalmist points out, God not only recognizes the events of the earth, but He directs them. He takes poor people, lifts them out of the dust, and raises them to the level of princes. He takes needy people, raises them from ash heaps, and sits them with the leaders of His people. And to the barren woman, He gives a home, many children, and a joyful spirit. As Psalm 107 notes, God delivers people in desperate situations. That proves that there is a God, and that He is loving and kind.
God’s Humility Leads to Praise
This passage is not written in a vacuum. The purpose of this Psalm is that we would ‘Praise the LORD!’ As I meditated on this section and prayed over it, my heart was overwhelmed with praise for such a God. This God cares for me and my life; He will direct and lead me. As this Psalm asks, “Who is like the Lord our God?”
Psalm 113
- Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord!
- Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore!
- From the rising of the sun to its going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised.
- The Lord is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens.
- Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high,
- Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth?
- He raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap,
- That He may seat him with princes — with the princes of His people.
- He grants the barren woman a home, like a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord!
When has God’s care for you filled you with praise? Does you remember a time when you recognized God’s care for your life? Feel free to encourage others with a comment below!
I think the very first time I tasted of His loving care was in middle school one night as I was thinking very hard about what I was to do with my life. Suddenly my inner countenance seemed to change and I started praising God profusely as images of me floating over a jungle with a voice saying “you will be a blessing to these people” flooded my mind. I was full of joy, praise and thankfulness the next three day’s and even broke out of my intense shyness during that time. Though it faded, I recalled it later when a more lasting and grounded praise of Him was established in me.
Anyway, this article caused me to think of His graciousness, condescension and humility in a better way, thank you for this. His humility is probably the most astonishing of His attributes.
Scott, thanks for sharing that remarkable incident. It is such a blessing when God fills us with praise and makes us so aware of his lovingkindness!
Standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon a few days ago filled my heart with praise for our Creator but left me speechless. Our human minds cannot grasp the infinite beauty of our God and how even the tiniest flower or insect is a masterpiece. He is beyond my comprehension and I praise Him for that. Thank you for this well written article Daniel and the lovely pictures.
Karen, that sounds like an amazing experience. I vaguely remember being at the Grand Canyon when I was very young, but I don’t remember what I thought at the time. I do know, however, that I was filled with praise when I saw some of the other great creations of God in the world. Thanks for sharing!
As I am writing this Christmas 2023 is just two days away. I have been reading and watching videos on the James Web Space telescope and it has brought home the vastness of the universe. There are 4 trillion galaxies and each contains billions of stars. I don’t believe in life on other planets which means we are alone. If it is an act of humility for God look at the universe how much more so than to incarnate Himself for a people living on one tiny speck who are ungrateful and rebellious and to die to pay for their sins. As I take all that in I understand now how glorious is His name Immanuel-God with us.