I recently attended a teenage church group. One of the teens appeared to have a learning disability. Throughout the discussion, this young lady and her adult assistant provided excellent answers to the group’s questions.
When the lesson concluded, we began picking up the tables and chairs. If I’m not mistaken, this young lady picked up more chairs than anyone else in the class.
Her actions immediately reminded me of Jesus’ words: “But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first” (Mark 10:31).
I often consider myself an earthly “first-place finisher.” In the eyes of society, this young lady might be viewed as a “last-place finisher.” The good news for her is that God has a great reversal awaiting us in eternity.
Currently, her angels look upon the face of our Heavenly Father, and she will undoubtedly have a first-place experience in heaven one day.
“Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).
God’s Care for the Lowly
The majority of the media industry is focused on first-place finishers. The wealthy, powerful, beautiful, intelligent, and clever fill our news stories and social media feeds.
While these first-place finishers dominate the news, the Bible is filled with one example after another of God’s care for the lowly.
The Book of Isaiah begins with arrogant humans trusting in their own plans in opposition to God’s guidance. The book ends with God’s declaration of His presence among the lowly:
Thus says the Lord:
Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool;
so what kind of house could you build for me,
what sort of place for me to rest?
All these things my hand has made,
so all these things are mine,
says the Lord.
But this is the one to whom I will look,
to the humble and contrite in spirit
who trembles at my word. (Isaiah 66:1-2)
The tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-8) is a testimony to human pride and short-sightedness. Their building project ended in disaster. God doesn’t want humans to build a structure into His realm any more than He desires a physical house for His presence.
God looks to the human heart as a place to dwell. He has three requirements for a place to host His presence:
1. Humility
God values the humble, and so should we. We should look to humble people as role models and deeply desire to be humble ourselves.
Here is what God has to say on the subject of humility:
When pride comes, then comes disgrace;
but wisdom is with the humble. (Proverbs 11:2)He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)
God values humility to such an extent that He chooses to dwell with the humble. In that regard, we do well to follow the admonition to pursue a humble lifestyle.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3).
And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for
“God opposes the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.”
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time.” (1 Peter 5:5b-6).
2. Contrite in Spirit
To be contrite is to be crushed. An old Texas preacher, commenting on the 23rd Psalm’s words, He makes me lie down in green pastures, said, “Sometimes God makes us lie down, so we will have to look up.”
One way or another, contrite people have reached rock bottom. Whether crushed by life or by their own poor decisions, they have created an atmosphere for God’s presence.
One of my friends, who lived a life of crime before meeting Jesus, put it like this: “When I raise my hands, I am telling God, ‘I surrender.'”
The good news of God’s grace is that He desires to dwell with the broken, rock-bottom, contrite people who have surrendered to His will.
3. Tremble at God’s Word
If you have taken the time to read my blog, you are probably like me and read the Bible every day. Sometimes, I read it the same way I brush my teeth and take my vitamins. I am preoccupied and don’t think too much about what I’m reading.
At other times, I realize that Jesus is speaking directly to me through the words on the page. I don’t know if I literally tremble at His words or not, but I certainly take notice of them.
The kind of person who creates an atmosphere for God’s presence is someone who receives God’s message and acts on it in obedience. That is the kind of trembling God desires.
Reflections
Thinking about this passage and my encounter with that young lady reminds me that worldly achievements mean very little in God’s economy.
It is profoundly humbling to realize that the Creator of the universe bypasses the powerful and the self-sufficient to make His home with the broken and the lowly.
This challenges me to evaluate my own heart daily. Am I approaching God with a sense of earthly entitlement, or with a contrite spirit that truly trembles at His Word?
My prayer is that we all strive for the beautiful, quiet humility that invites God’s presence into our lives.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 