"He has shown you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8)
What does it mean to "walk humbly with your God?" In my journey with Jesus, it's all about a new walk. I'm seeking to walk in all His ways and live by "every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). But this walk also takes me along a narrow path, where I hear the voice of Jesus saying, "walk humbly as you follow Me." I'm seeking to follow You Lord, but how do I do it humbly?
First of all, where can I find the humble? In Isaiah 57:15, I found these startling words, "For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." These words sound so strange to me. They seem like such an oxymoron! I mean, God lives with the humble and yet He needs to revive them. It sounds, at first, as if He's living with someone who's been dead or nearly so. Why would that be a place where God would want to live?
It reminds me, somehow, of the story of Moses when he was hidden in the cleft of a rock. Before Israel left the wilderness and entered the Promised Land, Moses asked to see God's face. Now, he was already pretty close to God. They shared an intimacy that very few people in the Bible enjoyed (other than Jesus). After all, "the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend" (Exodus 33:11). But God's face was always veiled in some way and he longed to look into the eyes of the Lord, His dearest Friend. But Jesus said, "You cannot see My face and live." And yet, He wanted to answer the prayer of Moses, so He hid him in the cleft of a rock.
Moses had to hide there to see the glory of God. Self had to be hidden. "It is when we hide [in this modern age] in the Riven Rock that Christ will cover us with His own pierced hand and we shall hear what the Lord saith unto His servants" (Christ's Object Lessons, pg. 162). God's glory is seen through what He says of Himself. For "to us as to Moses, God will reveal Himself as "merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin." Exodus 34:6,7 (ibid).
We can only dwell with Jesus if we have this spirit--the spirit of mercy and forgiving love. This is when I feel my need of Christ and come to Him like an empty cup, ready to be filled. The humble and contrite ones are filled with Jesus because they've opened their empty hearts to receive Him. They can humbly walk with God because they never feel puffed up in their journey. When your eyes are always on Jesus, His glory eclipses everything else. His character stands out in such brightness that all your imperfections become crystal clear. You see just how much you need the Savior.
I face this frequently in my journey because there are pitfalls along the way. I often run into people who run over me as if I was a bug on the road. They act like steamrollers who want their way no matter what. And it doesn't seem to bother them how many they hurt in the process. They have little boundaries in life, so they're frequently rude when they talk to me, show little respect or kindness. I try to push on regardless and treat them the way I wished they treated me.
But just this week, I realized that pain was turning into anger, and I didn't feel like loving them anymore. I didn't have it in me to recover and I just longed to just run away from it all. But the Lord opened my eyes to my great need and He reminded me to be "merciful and gracious, longsuffering... and forgiving." Just hearing Him say those words brought peace to my aching heart. And it helped me pray, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34).
So I'm starting to see that this is what walking humbly is about. It doesn't mean I never fall. But if I do, I'm ready to kneel before my Lord, often with tears, and confess how I've fallen from His grace. I feel my sin and how it pains my Savior. And the hunger grows inside me for a deeper cleansing, for victory over myself and all my weak spots. And spots have a lot to do with walking humbly with the Lord. For self can't live in the same spot where Jesus is. But when I keep my eyes on Jesus, "Love for self will be swallowed up in love for Christ" (Desire of Ages, pg. 179).
"We can receive of heaven's light only as we are willing to be emptied of self. We cannot discern the character of God, or accept Christ by faith, unless we consent to the bringing into captivity of every thought to the obedience of Christ. To all who do this, the Holy Spirit is given without measure. "In Christ dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and in Him ye are made full." Colossians 2:9,10" (Desire of Ages, pg. 181). When I walk humbly with the Lord, I praise God for His fullness and I always reach out for more. Because on this new journey with Jesus, it's not about me anymore. It's all about Him. He is my glory! He is my praise! He's all I need!
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