Proverbs 3:5-8 – Dependence and Humility

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5-8 ESV)

*Dependence and Humility is part four in the series DEPENDENCE, and holds the greatest value when read in sequence. You can start at the beginning here.*

While recovering from surgery, all heroic notions of self-reliance were literally chiseled out of me (yes, a literal hammer and chisel were used on my vertebrae). An event following my procedure was the greatest illustration of dependence and humility I have ever received, and most likely will be for some time. In short, I was unable to use the restroom under my own power, a lesson not only in humility, but in humiliation.

However, as I lay in my uncomfortable, fold-in-ten-different-directions hospital bed, the Holy Spirit sent a beam of stark, shining light straight at the plank that had lived in my eye for so long: my need to be the hero.

By God’s grace that idol is crumbling in my heart, though not yet gone completely.  The longing we have to be our own heroes, our own saviors, is implanted in us from an early age, and it is deadly.

Pride presents itself in various forms: legalism, works-based righteousness, arrogance, a holier-than-though mentality, and sadly, utter despair. But when we rightly understand our complete dependence upon Jesus as Savior and Hero, then, and only then, can we truly begin to walk in humility from a changed heart. Dependence enables humility because we ultimately realize Jesus is the only possible strength for our weakness. To pretend otherwise is folly.

-Jordan

Walk in humility by embracing your dependence on Christ. Ask God to soften your heart and draw you nearer to Him.