Walking in Humility

..."God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all you anxiety on him because he cares for you.
(1 Peter 5: 5b-7)

"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom"Proverbs 11:2

As I read these verses once again I see something different, especially in light of what C.J. Mahaney writes in his book Humility: True Greatness "When we humble ourselves each morning by casting our cares on the Lord,we will start the day free of care. The humble are genuinely care free. I've discovered how true that is about myself and my soul. Where there's worry, where there's anxiousness, pride is at the root of it. When I'm experiencing anxiety, the root issue is that I'm trying to be self-sufficient. I'm acting independent of God."

I am to walk in humility.

Peter says "humble yourself under God's mighty hand." Wouldn't that stand to reason then that I need to accept what God gives me? Even the pain I'm presently experiencing? After all, my current struggles have not caught God by surprise. He ordained them.

Often when hard circumstances come I ask why? Why me? Why this? I search for an answer. Could it not be in order to HUMBLE me? There is always a reason God allows painful circumstances in my life. Could it be to teach me to be totally dependent on Him?  Could the hard things be to teach me "...to need him, and in the end to give glory to Him with an ever deepening appreciation for the mighty hand of God" ?(Mahaney)

I do not need to know the path ahead in order to trust Him. If I walk in humble dependence in His purposes wouldn't it be possible then to walk with joy no matter where the path ahead may lead?

What if I could come to the point that I can acknowledged my complete lack of ability to control anything in my life and then accept what ever the hand of God brings me? If I could recognize my total dependence on God. Then walk daily in that dependence, allowing God to have free access to my life.

How can I get to a place of joyful humility? I think beyond our admitting our dependence on God we need to have an attitude of humility. I need to purposefully remind myself each morning that God will take care of me. He has a plan and a reason for everything that comes my way. I need not worry or e anxious about my life. I need to trust Him each moment with my life regardless of what happens. Then in the afternoon I need to remind myself again ...and again. It's a constant act of placing myself in the mighty hands of God and then TRUSTING He WILL take care of me. I need to trust Him with every detail of my life knowing that He knows the number of my days and He desires my good in all things.

No, it’s not easy. I do not mean to make it sound easy. We so often want to see the road ahead first then we will trust. But then, that is not trust is it? We need to have the faith of a child that places her hand in the hand of her Father and just walks along with Him not matter how scary the road looks. That child knows she can trust her Father.

Oh God I do desire to get to that place where I can be free of worry about the road ahead . To  be completely dependent on you. Father, forgive me of my pride that says "I know better". Forgive me for thinking that somehow by worrying that I am going to have answers to fix my problems. God help me to be TOTALLY dependent on you this day...this moment. Help me to walk in true humility where I do not need all the answers to life’s circumstances, I do not need to see the road ahead. Help me to trust in Your goodness to me. Help me to walk in the joy of Your purposes regardless of what the road entails. Amen.