Raised Up

The prophet Isaiah proclaimed that one day every knee would bow before God and that every tongue would acknowledge him as Lord. Centuries later, the apostle Paul clarifies that it is before Jesus, the Son of God, that we will one day bow, and that we will acknowledge him as Lord. The good news is that we have the opportunity to declare his lordship now. We don’t have to wait until that day in the future. We get to enthusiastically declare his incredible greatness now.

Yet how often do we let our attention drift? I know that even in the midst of my worship, my focus can wander. It might be a cool new song, or sweet harmonies, or something good that happened during the week. And I’m guessing that I’m not the only one. When Paul quotes this prophecy from Isaiah, he doesn’t focus on our need to praise God. He highlights the importance of our own humility. When he quotes it in Romans 14, he instructs Christians to stop judging others and treating them with contempt. And in today’s passage, he addresses having humility in our relationships with others.

But what does humility have to do with our praise of Jesus? Paul reminds us that Jesus, the Lion and Lamb, the Alpha and Omega, the King of kings and Lord of lords, chose to humble himself on our behalf. Even to the point of dying for our sins on a cross meant for criminals. If that isn’t a reason to be humble, we need to really check our hearts.

It is only when we see our own smallness in relation to his incredible greatness that we can give him the proper worship and praise that he is due. May we humble ourselves so that he may be raised!

Prayer: "Lord Jesus, help me to see myself in the light of your incredible glory. May it bring me to my knees in worship of you. Let the humility it brings lead me to see others as you see them. Where there may be contempt or judgment in my attitude toward others, replace it with respect and compassion. May my praise of your worthiness flow out of knowing that I am utterly unworthy. Thank you for giving everything, so that I am worthy of giving you glory. Amen."