Humble

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying:“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

Revelation 5:11-13   

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.          

Luke 2:6-7

Over the last three months, I have had the opportunity to dive into the book of Revelation in the Bible, and hear how it describes the majesty, authority, and "otherness" of Jesus. Some of the language is beautiful.  Some of it is frightening.  All of it is powerfully overwhelming.

Last week, God opened my eyes to the sheer ludicrousness of his plan: that the prince of heaven, who is worshipped and adored by countless angels and all creation (as in, literally, everything), would desire to put all that aside to come to live as one of us.  The juxtaposition of an almighty conquerer to a crying newborn in a barn is just silly.   Incomprehensible.  Humble.

And then I ran across these verses as I was doing devotions:

He has shown you, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. -Micah 6:8

Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble. -Psalm 138:6

But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the Lord. -Zephaniah 3:12

Humble.

I feel as though I am humbled almost daily in my job as a wife and mom.  I lose my patience with Noah. I am selfish with Dave. I let the hours pass without using them to the fullest with Zeke. I realize my inadequacies.  I get jealous, judgmental, complacent, comfortable. And when I look at what God expects of me, I am ashamed, and humbled.

And then, he lifts my chin, and shows me the never-ending, always pursuing love he has for me. And I am no longer ashamed.  


I am humbled.  And that is just where he desires I be.

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over ideal, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. 

Micah 5:2