How God Leads Humbled Hearts

I sigh with relief and a little holy fear when I read this verse.

On one hand, I’m deeply thankful because I love knowing God guides and teaches us when we humbly submit to him. The holy fear comes in when I realize how often I haven’t been humble and tremble when I realize how little our culture prizes humility. Diving into the original Hebrew of this word, we can see that it is translated as poor, weak and afflicted.

While I am not saying that God wants His children to be in this state perpetually, we can see clearly that God uses this position for His good purposes. When we find ourselves in this place, we can recognize it as an opportunity for God to lead and teach us.

This verse makes it clear that when we are humble and we submit to him, he is readily able leads us. We are more soft, like clay in the hands of a potter to be shaped however he wishes. When find ourselves here, we can thank God that by trusting him, he will teach us how to be more like himself.

Conversely, Hebrews 3:8 warns us not to harden our hearts when God allows us to be in this state. The Israelite people found themselves in this place in the wilderness. Instead of remaining humble and submitting to God, they grumbled against Him. They didn’t remain teachable and God could see their hearts were not ready to listen.

Without the capacity to listen and be taught by God, they could not enter the promise land. Without humility, they would not realize they could not do it on their own strength. Because of this, their suffering was prolonged. This is why a holy fear and meekness toward God are the best responses.

My prayer is that the next time we face challenges that make us feel poor, weak and afflicted, we turn our hearts and minds to the Lord. Let’s surrender what we think is best to Him and wait on Him to make the way clear. A heart surrendered to God showcases a life ready to be used by God.

So, friends, this week as we memorize Psalm 25:9, let’s remember that God is pleased to lead and teach us when we meekly come to Him in our struggles!