Mediation for Wednesday
Reference: Isaiah 2:12-17
Reflection: Although it may not be obvious at first, Isaiah’s words in today’s reading were a remarkable shift in theology for the people of his day. At a time when it was believed that God was on the side of God’s people, and that it was only the enemies of Israel that needed to be judged, Isaiah confronted the pride that this “God is on our side” thinking inevitably created. Using the metaphor of all things that are lofty and glorious – large trees, high mountains, tall towers – Isaiah prophesied a day when God would bring down the pride of God’s people. Only God would be exalted, he proclaimed.
God’s exaltation is not for God’s own sake. God is God, and for us to deny this, and try to make ourselves our own gods, is to bring tremendous pain and difficulty on ourselves and on others. This is why the Bible considers pride to be one of the most destructive and resistant of sins. However, when we recognize that we can never be our own gods, and we submit ourselves to God’s rule, we open ourselves to God’s direction and instruction and we are able to navigate life with greater wisdom and resilience. This is the gift of humility.
Practice: No matter how hard we work at humility, we all have areas of our lives in which we feel proud and “better” than others – even if it’s just that we feel more humble! It can be difficult to admit this pride – especially to ourselves – but if we will open our hearts to the Spirit’s conviction, we will soon see what needs to be brought down.
Today, allow God’s Spirit to convict you, and confess any areas of pride that you become aware of in your life.
Prayer: Show me the “high places” in my heart that need to be brought low, O God, and forgive me for my pride.