“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30
We find peace when we yield to the Spirit’s way and do not push against it. When we take upon ourselves the yoke of our Lord and choose humility, He helps us along the path of life. The way of the Lord is found by those who choose humility. It is an easy way – one where Jesus helps us carry the weight of our burdens.
But the proud in heart oppose God, and God opposes them. 1 Peter 5:5 puts it this way, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Grace is the Lord’s enabling power. The Lord stops the proud but extends his hand to lift up the lowly the ones who choose humility.
When we surrender our lives to the Lord, we find rest. Peace saturates us, and the Father guides us in the way of peace towards Him and towards others.
When we embrace humility, we also find that Christ is there to teach us His precious truths. His wisdom daily transforms us and makes us holy.
King David’s Repentance
King David was not a perfect man, but he was humble. He sinned before the Lord by committing adultery and murder, and he was confronted by Nathan the prophet. David repented of his sin. We can find his words of repentance in Psalm 51:1-4NKJV
Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just ]when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
A Desire to Build a House for the Lord
David also desired to build a temple for the Lord, but he was told by Nathan the prophet that one of David’s sons would build the temple. The king accepted the Lord’s instruction with great humility and rejoicing. Here is a portion of the scriptures that explain this. It starts with the Lord speaking to Nathan the prophet.
“Now this is what you will say to my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: I took you from the pasture where you followed sheep so that you could be the leader of my people Israel. I was with you wherever you went, and I destroyed all your enemies in front of you. I will make your name famous like the names of the greatest people on earth. I will make a place for my people Israel and plant them there. They will live in their own place and not be troubled anymore. The wicked will no longer oppress them as they used to do ever since I appointed judges to rule my people Israel. So I will give you peace with all your enemies. I, the Lord, tell you that I will make a house for you.”
One of Your Descendants Will Build the House
“ ‘When the time comes for you to lie down in death with your ancestors, I will send one of your descendants, one who will come from you. I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he will be my Son. If he sins, I will punish him with a rod and with blows inflicted by people. But I will never stop showing him my love as I did to Saul, whom I took out of your way. Your royal house will remain in my presence forever. Your throne will be established forever.’ ”
Nathan told David all these words and everything he had seen.
King David’s Worshipful Response
“King David went into the tent and sat in front of the Lord. “Who am I, Almighty Lord,” he asked, “and why is my house so important that you have brought me this far? And even this you consider to be a small act, Almighty Lord. You’ve also spoken about the distant future of my house. Almighty Lord, this is the teaching about the man.”
“What more can I, David, say to you, Almighty Lord, since you know me so well! You’ve done this great thing because of your promise and your own desire. You made it known to me.”
David Continues
“That is why you are great, Lord God. There is no one like you, and there is no other god except you, as we have heard with our own ears. Who is like your people Israel? It is the one nation on earth that God came to free in order to make its people his own, to make his name [c] known, and to do great and wonderful things for them. You forced nations and their gods out of the way of your people, whom you freed from Egypt to be your own.”
“You created the people of Israel to be your people forever. And you, Lord, became their God. “Now, Lord God, keep the promise you made to me and my house forever. Do as you promised. Your name will be respected forever when people say, ‘The Lord of Armies is God over Israel.’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your presence. You, Lord of Armies, God of Israel, have revealed it especially to me, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ That is why I have found the courage to offer this prayer to you. forever.” 2 Samuel 7:8-27 GW
David accepted the Lord’s instruction, even though he desired to be the one to build a house for the Lord.
Let’s Surrender
Let’s surrender our wills to God, and choose humility. Though we will still experience troubles in this life, we will find our burdens to be much lighter. We will find rest for our souls. Let’s not push against God’s way for our lives, instead let’s dive into the plan and purposes that God has for each of us. We choose humility. Give us rest as we walk in Your way. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
For further review, here is a poem I wrote entitled Humble Mary. https://inspireafire.com/humble-mary/