To Encourage You

Philippians 2:8 “he humbled himself”

So often when we think of the power of God, we think of His ability to do such things as create the universe, control the weather, heal the sick, and cast out demons.  However, there are other things that demonstrate His power just as much but that may be less obvious to us.  In essence, anytime God does that which is impossible for us to do in our natural strength it is a demonstration of His supernatural power. 

One of the things that occurred to me along these lines was the words above which speak of Jesus in His incredible incarnation, death for our sins, and resurrection.  Obviously, it is a miracle for God to become a man.  It’s what we celebrate at Christmas year after year as the wonder of it all stirs our hearts and brings us great joy.  One of the ways this miracle is expressed in Scripture is that in this act, “He humbled himself.” These three words speak of supernatural strength.  If you don’t think so, let me ask you a question. Can YOU humble YOURSELF?  If your answer is “Yes,” I’ll bet you’re at least a wee bit proud that you can say that.  So, let’s think a bit about the incredible condescension of God.  

Here is One Who alone made everything that is anything.  He alone is eternal, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent.  He alone exists as a Trinity, something that no human mind can fully grasp.  Listen to Psalm 148, which proclaims the praise and worship that He is due:

“Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
    praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
    praise him, all his hosts!

“Praise him, sun and moon,
    praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
    and you waters above the heavens!

“Let them praise the name of the Lord!
    For he commanded and they were created.
And he established them forever and ever;
    he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

“Praise the Lord from the earth,
    you great sea creatures and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and mist,
    stormy wind fulfilling his word!

“Mountains and all hills,
    fruit trees and all cedars!
Beasts and all livestock,
    creeping things and flying birds!

“Kings of the earth and all peoples,
    princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and maidens together,
    old men and children!

“Let them praise the name of the Lord,
    for his name alone is exalted;
    his majesty is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
    praise for all his saints,
    for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!”

Yet, it is this very One, Who, incredibly, humbled Himself.  He came to the earth He created to be born of a woman He created, to be subjected to every kind of horror that His created beings could hurl at Him, and ultimately be murdered on a cross.  And it was all for the very ones who hated Him. It was all to save them from their sin.  

As Isaac Watts contemplated all this, he wrote the following words to his well-known hymn:

“Alas! and did my Saviour bleed,
And did my Sovereign die?
Would he devote that sacred Head
For such a worm as I?”

Do you hear that – a worm! That’s what we are in comparison to our great God.  So, you wouldn’t think a worm would have any trouble humbling itself.  But it’s almost beyond belief that we find it so difficult, if not impossible, to do. We are so prone to boast, to defend ourselves, to be prejudiced against others that we don’t consider to be quite as good as us.  And so, this God who wants to produce the very fruit of His divine Holy Spirit in our lives will work to humble us, for although we can’t, He can.  And one way that this comes is by suffering. It comes by way of things that expose our weaknesses. It can come by failures that cut us way down to size.  As we are told in 1 Peter 1, suffering comes into the believer’s life under the sovereign control of our loving God because it is necessary.  It is by suffering that God so often humbles us. It’s by suffering that He softens us and makes us so much more useful to Him as He works in and through us to love others in our lives.  It’s a pruning that is necessary if we are ever to be able to obey commands such as to “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3), or to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2), or to “not be haughty, but associate with the lowly (and to) Never be wise in your own sight” (Romans 12:16).  

So, do you think any of those things is easy to do? They’re well-nigh impossible – that is, unless the Lord of Glory does a supernatural work in our lives, and this one Who so incredibly humbled Himself, likewise humbles us.