Are you God?

Louise Gevers

“Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.” 1 Samuel 2:3

Have you noticed how much some people love the sound of their own voices? There is no room in their conversation for anyone else to venture an opinion, as the speaker is completely wrapped up in himself and his own philosophies.

There is certainly a need for people to introduce themselves, describe what they do and clarify their expertise if invited to. What I am speaking about here, though, is the person who is so full of his own importance that he disregards the views of others, and does not have the humility to realise that he is only one small part of a whole, nor the thoughtfulness to notice that other people count and should also have an opportunity to speak. Arrogance can come out in many different situations, of course, but it is usually more readily noticed in this situation.

The above Scripture speaks directly about this problem and explains it from God’s perspective: He knows what we are doing and He judges our actions. Proverbs 21:2 reinforces this where we read: “All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.”  We again have a sense of that great distance between God’s thoughts and our thoughts. And in verse 4 it is named for what it is because arrogance reveals itself in: “Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin!”

We have to examine ourselves regularly and check our behaviour to see if pride and arrogance are not slipping into our thinking and actions.

Humility is not an easy thing to practise as it makes us look at ourselves honestly and recognise the lack in us despite all that we have achieved. It makes us feel unworthy of our calling in life because there is always more to learn, which doesn’t make us feel comfortable. Yet this is how we need to be before God so that in acknowledging our lack, He can empower us to go out to work in His strength, to achieve great things and be blessed richly, but, as the glory will go to Him, allowing us never to become proud and arrogant.

Why is God concerned about this?

Prayer: Righteous and Just God, You see us exactly as we are. You know that when we are proud and arrogant we are not in our right minds, as we do not acknowledge the glory due to You and we deprive ourselves of Your rich blessing. Please help us to humble ourselves to live in a right relationship with You. Amen.