Isaiah 66:1-2

“Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?  “For My hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being,” declares the Lord. “But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word. (NASB)

What can we really do for God? How can we truly please Him? Build him a magnificent church? Start a gigantic organization that helps people? Travel the world and preach the good news?  Paul writes to the people of Athens in Acts 17,

The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things. . .

Really. What can you do for God? Heaven is God’s throne, the earth His footstool. He made all these. What can we offer Him that He does not already have?  Note verse 2b starts with “But.”

“But [emphasis mine] to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”

For God to look at someone means He is favoring that person. The NET translates “look” as “show special favor.” What qualifies a person to receive special favor from God?  The humble, the contrite, the one who fears God.

Wow! Humble. Contrite. Reverent. These words are likely absent from the radars of most Christians. God is not asking that we give Him the world. He already has the world. God wants you. He wants me. He wants us to draw near to Him; to draw near in spirit, in soul, and in mind. Good works are important, but the works must flow from the right attitude. Without the spirit of humility and reverence, the external actions become an abomination. Isaiah 66:3 says,

“But the one who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a person;
The one who sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
One who offers a grain offering is like one who offers pig’s blood;
One who burns incense is like one who blesses an idol. (NASB)

God draws near to the humble, to the contrite in spirit. If that’s true, why is humility taught so little in church, if ever? The results of this grave omission are palpable, in churches and in the lives of those who proclaim to be Christians. Instead of humility we find the rankest form of pride and arrogance. Any wonder we don’t get along, we don’t have unity? It seems the American church not only dismisses humility, it, in fact, embraces pride- subtly. And sometimes the pride is not so subtle. COVID-19 has exposed the rank arrogance in the church — the demands for freedom from government policies, for the personal right to do as I please, to focus on my wants and comfort. Humility may be “un-American,” but it’s required for the kingdom of God.

A person is most like Jesus when he is humble . . . and loving. Jesus did not regard equality with God as something which He should embrace. He laid that aside, became a man, and died on the cross. Jesus is the epitome of humility and those who follow Him must likewise humble themselves. You cannot walk with God unless you walk humbly with Him, and with reverence. Without humility, the church will never be like Jesus, will never realize her full potential. God cannot fill a container that is already full. The statement is paradoxical. The church is largely powerless because it is not humble.

Certainly in today’s environment humility does not come easy. It’s nowhere to be found. With social media and all the focus on self, everyone is screaming to be heard, jockeying to be seen. Self-glorification is promoted. We are easily provoked and chafed by any slight. Unfortunately, this worldly attitude has infiltrated the church. But when things are darkest, even a little light makes a big difference. When we walk in humility, God draws near. When we fear Him, when His name is “hallowed,” His kingdom will come. As we walk in humility and in reverence, God’s light will shine into this darkness.

Humility is not a disposition with which you were born. Humility is a choice. Peter writes that we ought to “humble ourselves.” And in the His timing, He will exalt you. Just prior to this verse in 1 Peter 5, it says, “clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.” Let’s cease focusing on self. Instead focus on God and His kingdom and let Him take care of us. In other words, my job is to exalt God, and it’s God’s job to exalt us . . . in His timing.