Why is it that so many of our sayings have to do with looking down? We say he is, “keeping his nose to the grindstone.” We tell our kids, “Keep your head down and focus on your work.” Or another one, “Buckle down and get to work!”
We also describe negative things we say to each other in downward terms such as, “put downs,” or “take downs.” We even use low words to talk about our sad feelings: “feeling low,” or “let down.”
All of these things are the exact opposite of how God describes Himself in the Bible. Isn’t that usually the way it is? The world has one way and God’s way is completely different. In Psalm 3:3 it says that God lifts our heads high. In James 4:10 the Bible tells us that if we humble ourselves before the Lord He will lift us up; again, opposite of what the world says, which is, if we are humble, we will be low and walked on. One of my favorite encouraging chapters in the book of Psalms includes the sentence, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” (Psalm 40:2)
God doesn’t want us going around with our heads hanging down. He wants to lift us up out of whatever we are going through whether it is shame, rejection, discouragement, or a whole other list of possibilities. He is wanting to gently put His hand under our chins, lift our heads and tell us to look at Him. He wants us to, “find delight in the Almighty and look up to God.” Job 22:26
The other evening I was driving through a winding stretch of road. The road was narrow, and it was also dark. I found myself worrying that I was going to drive into the oncoming traffic. I was brought up short in my worries by the thought, “Why would I do that?” It wasn’t like I was going to all of a sudden steer my vehicle into one heading for me for some unknown reason. Of course accidents happen, deer run out and people veer to miss them. But what I was worrying about was that I would literally steer toward those headlights like a giant metal moth.
As preposterous as that sounds, I also worry I will do this in life. I worry I will somehow fail to see the danger and head straight for disaster. Not only is this a lack of faith in myself, it is a lack of faith in my Heavenly Father and even a lack of faith in my friends. I love the verse in Proverbs that says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) As I learn more and more to trust God, He is showing me His straight paths that keep me from danger. Even if I were to miss a cue from God, I am also blessed with several truth-speaking friends who would be quick to pull me out of harm’s way!
I don’t know if this is something you struggle with as well, being afraid that you will somehow “miss” God’s direction or warning. I find a lot of comfort by staying in God’s word, the Bible. He uses verses to speak very personally, comforting me and guiding me. I would encourage you to spend some time reading the Bible, asking God to show you what He wants to tell you. In the hardest times I read Psalms and for very practical guidance, Proverbs. Really though, God can speak no matter where you find yourself wandering in His word.
I know we have all heard many times how powerful words are. Most of the time it seems these sermons or talks focus on the destructive power that misspoken words can have. However, the opposite is just as true. Words can have amazing healing strength as well. They can bolster our confidence. A well-spoken word from someone can change our entire day. Most amazingly, words can even have creative ability; after all, everything that exists was actually spoken into existence by God.
As we head into a new year in just a few days, it is a good time to think about words. What kind of words do we want to speak? What words are we willing to have spoken to us? Are we going to allow the words of our thoughts to drag us down and defeat us or are we going to believe God’s word to us?
The beginning of the year is a good time to set goals and think about things we might want to change in our lives or do a little differently. One of the things I started doing a few years back was picking a word for the year that I felt God wanted me to grow into during the next months. I found this to be an empowering exercise. As I would read the Bible during the year, God would show me the word in different verses, and teach me more about the quality the word expressed. One year a friend gave me a necklace with my word-of-the-year printed on it. It was such a thoughtful reminder to me as I strove to grow that quality in my life.
In these last few days of the year, I am thinking and praying about my words for 2019. I want to choose kinder, softer words for my children. I want to find encouraging words for my friends. I even want to strive to have kind words in my thoughts for others, as well as myself. Would you like to join me? I pray that God will show you a word or two that He has especially picked out for you this year!
“Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” Proverbs 16:24
Normally we don’t enjoy being last. Especially us Americans. We have been taught from birth that there is no other place than first, and that second place is just the first loser. However, I have found something recently that I do like being last to. There is a stretch of road construction on a highway I drive several times a week. This is a major project which involves fairly long traffic delays. I am very happy to come up to the traffic stop last, just as traffic is being allowed to start proceeding!
Being motivated to succeed is not necessarily a bad thing, we just take it to extremes many times in our culture. We also, as believers in Jesus, have to be very careful not to measure our relationship with Him the same way the world would. We can very easily fall into the thinking that we need to be “first” in His eyes by doing a lot for Him. If we volunteer to teach Sunday school, sing at church, give to a lot of causes, follow all the “rules,” then we will be worthy to be in a relationship with Him.
Back in Jesus’ day there were people with the same mindset. They believed that if they followed all of the law, or “rules,” they would be first in the kingdom of heaven. In the book of Matthew in the Bible, Jesus told them it didn’t work that way. He explained that God’s economy is the exact opposite of our human one. In fact, He flat out said that the first will be last, and the last will be first. This was revolutionary to the people of His day and to us too. We cannot work our way into heaven and we cannot buy our way in, salvation is a free gift of grace.
Do you tend to fall into the thinking that everything depends on you?
I can’t say that I hope you have an opportunity to see God work in this way in your life, because as the examples show, we usually don’t like the way the opportunities are presented! We live in a world where these times are unavoidable though, so when the curtain is pulled back on an illusion you have been depending on, remember it is just that, an illusion, and underneath is the rock solid love of God.